05 April 2024

Simon Harris, head of critical infrastructure, Business Critical Solutions (BCS)

Which law would you most like to change?
There isn’t an existing law that I would like changed but the world quickly needs effective global legislation around the use of AI covering critical national security, safety and societal risks. The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act will deal with some issues inside the EU but global controls are required to try and contain not only bad actors and governments but careless use by commercial organisations and individuals.

What was your big career break?
My real career break came whilst I was an associate director in the cost management team at Sweett Group. In the teeth of the financial crisis, I landed two prestigious client appointments that acted as a spring-board for where I have been able to subsequently take my career in the technology driven mission critical arena. One appointment was for the UK financial services regulator and was consequently the subject of a great deal of scrutiny - particularly in the climate that prevailed at the time. The other was the beginning of a relationship that endures to this day, over fifteen years later. I quickly learned the value of surrounding yourself with great people and whilst it’s vital that as a leader you provide a vision of what success looks like, you need to empower your teams to operate using their initiative and experience.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
I have had too much good advice to only think of a single winner, so I’ll go for the three most useful. I have subsequently discovered that these originally came from notable sportsmen and politicians but here goes:

Firstly; don’t count the days, make the days count. This reminds me that time is finite and precious.

Secondly; control the controllable. Don’t worry about the stuff you cannot influence.

Words matter. The choice of words effects how people feel. Inspiring the heart is a fundamental part of leadership

If you had to work in a different industry, which would you choose?
I would follow one of my passions and immerse myself in the world of quality classic cars. It is probably a quick way of losing your money if you don’t know what you are doing but I could easily see myself owning a business dealing and looking after expensive machinery, enjoying the design, engineering and being part of the story. It would also provide an opportunity to meet some really interesting people and do some networking.

Where would you live if money was no object?
A Caribbean Island sounds like a great idea but, in reality, I would soon get bored and sell up. Whilst the climate cannot compare to the Caribbean, I would jump at an opportunity to live in Bath. Great pubs and restaurants, beautiful countryside, a topflight rugby club, magnificent architecture and good travel connections to London. It’s got the lot, what’s not to like.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I desperately wanted to be a fighter pilot. I spent years in the Air Training Corps and had an awesome experience but when the time came to make a decision about this it was becoming clear that my eyesight was probably not going to be good enough. I decided that if that road was closed then I wouldn’t do anything else and started looking at other alternatives. Probably a bit narrow minded in hindsight but I was pretty focussed. Like a lot of people in construction consultancy we cannot adequately explain how we ended up in it. Going forward we need to be able to communicate why a career in it is an attractive one for young talent leaving schools and universities.

What’s the greatest technological advancement in your lifetime?
The portfolio of technologies that make up the internet and world wide web have changed society, the world of business and the way we communicate with each other. From an historic perspective the changes have been at least as consequential as the Industrial Revolution, opening up new types of enterprise and lowering the barriers to entry in existing markets. These platforms are the underlying enabler of further revolutionary changes brought about by AI so we have not experienced the full extent of what is possible yet and we need to harness the good whilst containing the possibility of harm.

If you could dine with any famous person, past or present, who would you choose?
If I am going to enjoy going to dinner then I need to be with people who will be lively, have a sense of fun, wisdom and a whiff of danger. For that reason, I would take three guests: Peter Cook, Oliver Reed and Barack Obama. The drinks bill could be terrifying though!