05 September 2025
Jon Fielding, Managing Director, EMEA, Apricorn
Who was your hero when you were growing up?
As a Manchester City fan, I idolised the late, great Colin Bell. I’d just started going to football and Colin was in a different class. Unfortunately, he was badly injured a couple of seasons later and was out for quite some time. I can still remember the crowd noise on his return, but he never fully recovered to the player he once was. I suffered some barren times in those early years and beyond. However, I now feel privileged to watch an exceptional team, both footballers and managerial staff, and can see some of Colin’s attributes in different players – Rodri/Bernardo’s work rate and De Bruyne’s vision for example. We still sing his name.
What was your big career break?
Moving into electronic payments and Public Key Infrastructure off the back of the Identrus(t) scheme when at IBM in the mid-90s. I ended up working on a huge global deal for a large bank where we needed to bring in a number of complementary technologies, most from pre-IPO start-ups as it was fairly cutting edge at the time. This opened the opportunity to consider a radically different work environment and, after 10 years at IBM, I felt the time was right to take the plunge and work one of these “new wave” businesses. This led to a number of first man on the ground in country/region roles; all of which have been great fun and packed with wonderful memories and experiences, leading up to where I am today.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I honestly can’t remember. The first aspirational career move I recollect was applying to be the first British Astronaut in space, thinking that having done Russian at A-level would carry some weight. Needless to say I was unsuccessful with Helen Sharman taking the seat.
Where would you live if money was no object?
My wife would say Majorca, I’d say Portugal – so Majorca it is! To be honest, that would work for me too. We enjoy visiting both, as well as the Greek islands. We have simple tastes – sun, beach, relaxed way of living and good food.
If you could dine with any famous person, past or present, who would you choose?
It is so difficult to choose just one name as there are so many people that I would love to be able to sit down with and talk around whatever it is that makes them unique whether that be in sport, politics, the arts etc. So, to answer the question for today’s choice I would have to say Pep Guardiola. I think he would be fascinating to talk to and try to get some sense of how his mind works
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Trust in you. That’s not to say don’t trust anyone else, but you need to back yourself first. I find myself passing this onto my kids now. Reminding them to have faith in themselves, bear in mind positive past experiences, trust in their gut and, 9 times out of 10 (or hopefully more), they will make the right decision for the right result.
If you had to work in a different industry, which would you choose?
Mobile catering – I’ve always fancied the idea of setting up a food truck that serves up high-quality food that is slightly different from the norm, then travelling round, building a loyal following and having fun - like in the film “Chef”.
The Rolling Stones or The Beatles?
Both are great and have influenced a lot of the music I like but, if pushed, I would have to go for the Rolling Stones.
What would you do with £1 million?
I would put it towards helping my kids buy their first homes. I have 4, so the £1 million is easily spent. With the current state of the housing market, I’m not sure how else they will ever be in a position to own their own home before middle age at the earliest.
What’s the greatest technological advancement in your lifetime?
It has to be the internet or smart phones that no only a portal into it, but offer so much more as evidence by the amount of time people spend on them and how much of their lives are stored on them.
