Roger Lightfoot B.Tech (Hons)

I joined Hobbs Parker in January 1990.

Even after all those years, I love being part of Hobbs Parker.

I often say to friends that I think a large part of our success is down to the friendly atmosphere in the office — many of our Directors and staff are friends first and work colleagues second.

It’s my job to make sure that our business runs smoothly so that our Directors and brilliant staff can spend their time looking after our customers and clients.

I deal with much of the dull (but important) administration of our business which includes our IT systems.

But my real interest lies in creative ideas and solutions to improve our business and especially the efficiency and quality of the service we provide to our customers. Our website and digital communications strategy occupy much or my time at the moment.

I have always been fascinated by technology. I built my first computer aged about 15 in 1978 which involved hand soldering over 2,000 connections (it worked first time!). I studied Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University and was sponsored by Jaguar Cars. After university, I worked as a consulting and software engineer at Concentration Heat and Momentum for a couple of years before joining Hobbs Parker.

I founded HP Technology a specialist company which specialised in the supply of business telecoms and internet services (we sold this business in 2018) and I am a Co-founder of Spark 9 LLP which develops Fabmin a leading cloud-based web application for managing staff holidays and sickness in small and medium-sized businesses.

Anybody that knows me will know that I’m a little competitive!

I refuse to give in to age and still play league hockey for Ashford Hockey Club (I first played for the club in 1976). I’m a member at Littlestone Golf Club, play tennis at our village club in Woodchurch and I am a former Technical Director of the Pot Blacks Five-a-Side football team!

And I just love skiing having first skied on wooden skis and in leather lace-up boots in 1970!