Mike Bacon

Founder & managing director, Academia Group

Tell us something most people won't know about you

I am a motivational speaker - having learnt from the best I am taking my new confidence to wider markets to help businesses understand their true potential.

What has been your highlight of 2018 so far?

Launching Atama.tech - B2B part of the Academia Group.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

A young Robert Redford, surely?

Which tech firm (other than your own!) do you most admire?

Vital York - stellar business and technology support in the North of England.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Golf - you can organise a strong business deal with me on the back 9.

What is the most irritating tech buzzphrase of 2018?

‘Artificial intelligence' - we have moved on from 2004.

What would be your first act if you were made Prime Minister?

Bankrupt Bitcoin.

What's the biggest untapped opportunity facing the channel?

Thinking backwards to drive companies forward - there is a natural need to understand the past to correct the future when thinking about technology.

What is your most treasured possession?

Any picture I own of my family - these are the ones behind everything I do.

What do your family think you do all day?

Play golf and conduct business propositions.

Who has been your mentor in business?

Adrian Atkinson - chairman of Exitech and the one who believed I could run my own business.