30 August 2024

Stewart Laing, founder and CEO, Asanti

Which law would you most like to change?
There’s not a specific law I would change but I feel some of the laws coming into play are encouraging people to become more and more offended at every little thing. We’re at a point now where I feel people are scared to have their own opinions in fear of the reaction of others. It’s incredibly frustrating especially watching younger generations not being able to learn and form their own views. I am worried about the erosion of freedom of speech and expression, and its implications not only for businesses in the next decade or two but for society as a whole.

Who was your hero when you were growing up?
My Dad. He was the hardest working person I’ve ever known. His ethics towards life and to work were incredible. He had a saying – “If you’re going to do something, make sure you do it 100%.” He was a great role model for me, and I’ve stuck to those words throughout my life.

What was your big career break?
I joined a small IT company in Glasgow called Altor. I went in as a Service Manager and within 12 months I was the Operations Director. Within 24 months we grew the managed services business from a turnover of £200,000 a year to £2.3 million.

The funny thing is that Altor was then acquired by ICM which, following subsequent acquisitions, later became Daisy and when I formed Asanti, we would go on to purchase their data centres a few years later.

Where would you live if money was no object?
It would have to be the west coast of Scotland. So not far! Having said that, I would also like to be able to visit the North of Mallorca whenever I felt like it.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Growing up I wanted to be a civil engineer. I love everything to do with roads and bridges. Still to this day I have an absolute fascination with The Forth Road Bridge. Built in 1964 it spans over 1,000 metres between two towers and was the fourth longest bridge in the world at the time. It really is something to behold.

I fully intended to follow that path but when I left school I stumbled into an apprenticeship at Honeywell as an electrical and electronics engineer. I was offered one of only two positions and it was one of the highest paid apprenticeships in Scotland at the time, so I took my dad’s advice and went for it 100%!

If you could dine with any famous person, past or present, who would you choose?
If I had to choose just one person, it would be Andrew Carnegie. His achievements during his lifetime are truly astounding. Born in Dunfermline, he moved to America with his family in search of better opportunities and seized them fully. He sold his steel company to J.P. Morgan for $480 million in 1901, but his philanthropic journey began as early as 1870, when he gifted a public library to his hometown of Dunfermline. Carnegie once said, “To try to make the world in some way better than you found it is to have a noble motive in life.”

What would you do with £1 million?
I would set up a charity called Asanti7. After visiting Uganda and witnessing the lack of support for vulnerable women and children there, I have felt inspired to make a difference. I visited in 2009 and 2011 with Watoto, who back then, were working to address the root problems through education and skills training. Their focus was to work with vulnerable women and children, helping them to learn skills and to set up businesses so that they can support their families.

What’s the greatest technological advancement in your lifetime?
These days everything is new! In all seriousness though it must be the smartphone. It is the best and the worst! I know these devices come with challenges but when you think about what they do, the technology is incredible.

It does take over our lives but when I look back to how computer technology changed within a relatively short period it is amazing. When I was a computer engineer, prior to joining Altor, the technology that I was working on become obsolete within two years.

The Rolling Stones or the Beatles?
The Rolling Stones wins it for me every single time. I always enjoyed my rock music and was never a huge fan of the Beatles.