Adam Butler

What drives you?
An innate drive do my best at whatever I'm doing.

What inspires you?
Seeing others overcome their own hurdles and achieve new personal heights in whatever aspect of life.

Strongest influences
Aside from the obvious family influences, I would say the strong mentors and business leaders that I have worked with over the years who have helped shape and direct my career.

Other interests
I like to keep fit and recently ran 10km for charity. I also enjoy skiing and walking in the Peak District. In addition to personal fitness, I enjoy reading and have a wide interest from autobiographies, modern history, political philosophy to science fiction.

Best decision
Having the foresight and courage to leave a business that I had been successful in for 15 years, but that had stopped being a challenge.

Greatest regret
Life is about looking forwards… not looking back! So no regrets!

Happiest business moment
Two spring to mind: the first successfully taking a £50m business to sale and finding a home for its employees in an environment in which both that business and the employees could grow; secondly, achieving record sales in tough economic trading environments.

What would you change about British business if you were given the opportunity?
Its understanding, or rather lack of understanding, of the importance of having a professional well managed and motivated sales function in achieving the aspirations of the business.

Fantasy job
Being an astronaut… exploring space… seeing planets… looking into the cosmos.

Favourite quotation
"The world is a great book, of which they who never stir from home read only a page"
St Augustine

Most admired businessperson
Bill Gates for his philanthropy.

Least favourite personal characteristic
On occasion have an impulse to get things done too quickly.

Pet hate/s
Sitting in a traffic jam which eventually eases but seemed to have no real cause.

Most over-used phrase
"Why do you say that?"

Other people's most over-used phrase
"That seems to make perfect sense…"

What makes you laugh?
The juxtaposition of opposites!

Favourite city
New York

Greatest extravagance/s
Holidays

Current reading
"The Vietnam War" by Mark Atwood Lawrence, "The Leader Who Had No Title" by Robin Sharma and "Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway" by Susan Jeffers.

Favourite albums
Final Straw (Snow Patrol), Hopes and Fears (Keane), Stadium Arcadium (Red Hot Chili Peppers), No Angel (Dido) How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (U2).