William Webb – Chair of the Board

At the heart of John Hogg, there’s a talented team of colourful personalities and expertise. In this “Meet the Team” series, we’re excited to showcase these skilled individuals who add the perfect hue to our organisation.

This week we caught up with our Chair of the Board, William Webb about his life at, and away from, John Hogg.

Tell us a little about your role at John Hogg

My role at John Hogg entails working alongside my fellow directors to help create the vision and strategy of the company, whilst being conscious of the culture within the business and considering new career opportunities for people throughout our structure in terms of progression.

How long have you been a part of the John Hogg team?

I have been a part of the team for 17 years, and I have been on the board for just over 10 years. I feel extremely fortunate to have worked with all sorts of different people throughout my time at John Hogg.

What was your first job, did you enjoy it?

My first proper job was as a marketing executive for the Lawn Tennis Association in London. A job I thoroughly enjoyed as I am a huge tennis fan, both playing and watching.

Did you attend University? If so, what did you study?

I did, I studied business at Leeds which has stood me in good stead for my working life.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I have a young family so most of my free time is spent with my wife and children. However when I have some time to myself I love playing sport, it used to be football and rugby but as I have got older I tend to stick to tennis and golf. I am also about to start learning paddle ball. When on holiday, one of my favourite activities is reading, particularly current affairs and history and I do enjoy a good novel.

Do you have a favourite sports team?

I enjoy watching most sport but have a few teams that I support: if its the rugby I will always cheer on Ireland, in football it is Everton and perhaps my favourite team event of the year is the Ryder Cup when of course I am always going to support Team Europe.

What would you say is your greatest accomplishment?

That is hard question to answer! There are two that come to mind:

Firstly building such a strong team at John Hogg Technical Solutions. I am extremely proud of the people around me and the success we are making of the company. Secondly, though no less important, is my family. I have two daughters and it is a complete privilege to be their father. Albeit occasionally rather exhausting!

What’s a fun fact about you that most people wouldn’t know?

I am rather injury prone, I have broken most bones and ligaments in my body over the years. I was even in an arm sling on my wedding day. We won’t go into detail on that…

Describe your ideal weekend or day off.

A good day for me is getting up early to walk our dog, then getting a coffee and going to the playground with my family. After that we may go somewhere simple for lunch such as Pizza Express (my girls’ favourite restaurant). And if it’s a winter Saturday, we will probably be watching Strictly Come Dancing whilst having a dance around the living room. I might even end the day with MOTD, but only if Everton did well.

If you could travel to any place in the world, where would it be and why?

I’m very lucky to have travelled to lots of places with work, but somewhere I haven’t been is South America so I would really like to go there. I would also love one day to take my family on a Safari holiday, my daughters both love animals and want to be vets!

Which book or a movie has left a lasting impact on you and why?

Any movie based on a true story always has an impact. Growing up in the 90’s Braveheart and Gladiator particularly spring to mind. I remember watching Gladiator and being inspired to buy a book about the history of Rome and visit the main sights in person.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I love all Italian food, it is probably the country I have visited the most often.

What is your greatest fear?

I’m not a huge fan of spiders, but since my children were born it is the health of my family that is most important to me, anything happening to them would be my greatest fear.

Your GOAT music artist?

I enjoy a lot of variety but would say Johnny Cash, he just has such an amazingly distinct and powerful voice.

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or deceased, who would it be?

Churchill would be very interesting company. I would like to get his perspective on everything he went through during his times as Prime Minister. The late queen would have also been good company.

If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?

Open, caring & fun

What’s the best thing about your job?

Tough one…

Being the CEO & Chair of the Board comes with a deep responsibility to always do my best and succeed wherever possible. So, I would say the best thing about my job is the influence that I’m able to have across the business. I’m fortunate to work closely with some really great people at John Hogg, and I am able to see a lot of what happens in the business because of that. I work with the board to think about long-term success, strategy and improvements that can be made to the company. That’s probably what motivates me the most and I feel very lucky to have that opportunity.

What’s an important lesson you’ve learned while working at John Hogg?

You can always be sure that the world will move on. Nothing ever stays the same, and everything changes. John Hogg has taught me that not only is thinking and planning ahead important, but being flexible and resilient enough to change those plans accordingly is just as vital. Even more important is having a good team around you and finding the right people for that.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to new team members to succeed within our company culture?

Sometimes workplaces can be intimidating with all sorts of different people and personalities. I would say, try not to be shy and develop your knowledge of the business by asking questions. Our business is very niche and complicated, but there is a wealth of experience in the business, it’s a silly phrase but there’s no such thing as a stupid question.

The other bit of advice, try to enjoy it! If you’re not enjoying it, try and find out why and try to improve that yourself, by working with other employees. It can be really fun at John Hogg when you’re working together towards a goal and being able to help others and make contributions.

Finally; In your opinion, what sets John Hogg apart as an employer?

We are an empathetic organisation. We understand that people have personal lives which are extremely important along side their working lives. We clearly recognise that and want to support people through that. No matter what position in your career you are at, we want to work with individuals to make sure they get the most out of working at John Hogg. We have a long-term vision to continuously improve the benefits that we offer to employees as they are our assets.