Dave Woods

What excites you most about Gill and your role here?

I joined Gill in September 2024. It is not the same business. Whilst retaining the commitment to quality and customer service that has brought us where we are today, our emphasis on global expansion and the fantastic team that we have brought on board around the world to support this, shows that Gill is taking huge steps forward.

What interests you most about the industry?

Many years? Charming. Honestly, it’s the constant learning. I came from international support management for global companies and thought that I would just waltz up on day 1 and know it all. That lasted until lunchtime. Every day I find out something new and add it to my skill set and get to go home every day knowing I’ve done a good job and improved myself.

How do you see technology impacting your role over the next 5 years?

You’re joking, right? If I could answer that I’d be sitting on my own island sipping cocktails. One thing that I will predict is that AI in its current form is going to crash and burn. Spectacularly. The business model is simply not sustainable, as organisations are starting to wake up to. When it happens, good luck with your pensions.

Who has inspired you the most in your career, and what did you learn from them?

Early in my career, my then IT manager stated that IT support is first and foremost a customer service role above a technical role. I’ve brought that to all the teams that I’ve managed throughout my career. In a previous role, we won an award for best service desk in the country based on this fundamental proviso. (Although being an ITIL Expert and doing 7 exams also had something to do with it!)

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

Growing up in Bury in the early 90’s, I was contemporaries with the guys that became the popular beat combo Elbow. They used to perform as Mr. Soft at the Derby Hall, and the flyers were a guy with a big top hat which I’m pretty sure Guy Garvey drew. You know what? They were rubbish. But they kept going, because they believed in what they were doing and it was their calling. They were dropped by 3 record companies and yet are now one of the biggest bands in the country. Which shows the power of passion and perseverance. Very LinkedIn.