Saul Parsonson, managing director, Logical Vehicle Management

What is your biggest achievement in your current role?
Leading the Logical business to a strong market position in five years and creating a fantastic base for growth.
    
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
My son, who tragically is no longer with us.

What’s your dream holiday?
I am fascinated by South America.

Who was the last person you received a text message from?
My wife, telling me not to be late again.

What is your favourite sitcom?
Only Fools and Horses and you can’t beat Dad’s Army. They still make me laugh.

What is your favourite film?
Any from the Bourne Trilogy – action but also content. I worry about all the surveillance stuff. I understand it is possible which is alarming.

You are on a desert island – what three things do you take with you?
iPod, a book and memories.

When was the last time you took public transport and where were you going?
Yesterday. I frequently travel to London on the train to see clients and important contacts.

What is the first thing you would do if you were made Prime Minister for the day?
Immediately articulate a position that strongly supports entrepreneurs rather than perpetuating the increasingly prevalent view that business is bad or greedy and solely the preserve of the rich.

What is your best childhood memory?
Family holidays in Devon, with seven of us travelling in an old Ford Zephyr.

What was your biggest mistake in business – and what did you learn from it?
Underestimating the risks that can occur when some people concentrate on politics over substance. It is quite remarkable that some people advance to very senior positions in this way when they are no good at delivering things.

If you won the Lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
Take my family and friends on an exotic, no-expense spared, holiday. Probably to The House in Barbados, dine frequently at the Cliff  and play golf at Royal Westmoreland and the Green Monkey with the lads.

What is your favourite restaurant dish?
My increasing waistline confirms I like all types of food, but I don’t think you can beat a good fillet of beef. Generally, I love Italian food.

What is your favourite book?
Beneath the Bamboo by Jonathon Jones is my current favourite because it is so powerful and vivid. It is also frightening and quite disturbing when considering the impact over a lifetime war has on people. A brilliant true account.

What is your guilty pleasure?
I’ll go for chocolate to be safe!

How would you describe your leadership style?
I would like people to think it engaging and inclusive. I focus on motivation and leading from the front, but I admit I fall short on occasions.

When did you last feel guilty about the environment?
Hitting a recently-planted sapling when playing golf and killing it.

Who was your childhood hero and why?
My Dad was then and is now.

Which historical character do you most identify with?
Churchill. He knew what was required and got on with it.

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Pursue your dreams now and not look back later and think what might have been.

What is the one object you couldn’t live without?
My wife would say my iPhone and she’s probably right.

If you could work in another profession what would it be?
Professional sport or, perhaps more realistically, I’d love to be a military pilot.

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

My son.

What’s your least favourite food?
Liver. I can’t stand it.

Which superhero from comics would you most like to be and why?
I quite like the prospect of being Joe 90.

What is your dream car?
The new Aston Martin Vanquish.

What has been the pivotal moment in your life?
The loss of my son changed my life forever. Nothing much really matters in life but health and happiness. Forget the big bucks, the career and the material world, none of this counts for anything when you lose somebody you deeply love.