The last word: Aidan Rowesome

Aidan Rowesome, general manager, Greenroad Europe

What has been your biggest achievement in your current role?

Building GreenRoad from nothing to the premier driver performance and safety management provider in the UK, with clients such as FirstGroup and Stagecoach.

Who has had the biggest influence on your career?

My father. My earliest memory is of him leaving for work in a made-to-measure suit, looking and acting immaculately professional. I have never forgotten that lesson.

What is your dream holiday?

Two weeks in the Sandy Lane Hotel, Barbados. Ultimate, relaxing luxury.

Who was the last person you received a text message from?

My wife Marie (private message).

You are on a desert island – what three things do you take with you?

If I can’t take Marie or get a 3G signal and power, I will have to opt for my Reader’s Digest Encyclopaedia of Home Improvement, sun cream factor 15, and my Celestron 11-inch telescope.

When was the last time you took public transport?

Today. I took the Gatwick Express into London, then the Victoria Line to my office at Euston Station.

What has been your biggest mistake in business?

I have been known to write important letters (and emails) and send them in a rush. I can’t count the number of times I have said ‘if only I had waited until the morning…’. I once reacted to a change of our account manager by firing a supplier by letter in a fit of pique and I’m still apologising to the company directors to this day.

What has been a pivotal moment in your life?

When I left the Irish Army Air Corps office training school and decided I was really a civilian, not an army officer.

If you won the Lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?

A Cirrus S22 aircraft to zip around the UK and never hear the words “due to an incident on the line near Rugby...” again.

What is your favourite sitcom?

Mrs Brown’s Boys – hilarious, irreverent Irish humour that gets away with profanities… except they aren’t, they just sound like profanities.

And your favourite film?

Forbidden Planet. Classic 1950s sci-fi movie that has many levels to it and the iconic Robby the Robot.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

School. I had the best time playing rugby, chess, acting in plays and occasionally studying.

What is your favourite book?

Einstein – A Centenary Volume. I searched everywhere to get a copy when it came out in the mid-1970s. A brilliant walk through the magical early days of relativity, quantum mechanics and nuclear physics.

What would you do if you were made Prime Minister for the day?

As the pasty tax has been overturned, I would invest in improving the transport network.

What would you say is your guilty pleasure?

Sherry trifle.

Your favourite dish at a restaurant?

Beef stroganoff – simple, tasty and can be eaten quickly without wearing it on your clothes.

What’s your least favourite food?

Any form of shellfish.

How would you describe your leadership style?

Firm, fair and inclusive. The team is everything.

Who was your childhood hero?

Sir Patrick Moore. He practically invented amateur astronomy and is the reason why I have a state-of-the-art computer-controlled telescope in my back garden.

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

Slow down, take your time and don’t be so quick to make judgements.

If you could work in another profession what would it be?

A research scientist working in nuclear physics or astrophysics.

What is the one object you couldn’t live without?

My iPhone.

Which superhero from comics would you most like to be?

The Hulk, just to be able to say ‘don’t make me angry, you won’t like me when I’m angry’.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given?

A Sony noise-cancelling headset by my wife – true luxury on a long-haul flight.