Dave Stevinson is the owner and CEO of QBS Software and the associated companies in the QBS Technology Group. He leads one of the most exciting technology companies in enterprise software.
Biography
Dave Stevinson is the owner and CEO of QBS Software and the associated companies in the QBS Technology Group. He leads one of the most exciting technology companies in enterprise software. QBS represents the leading enterprise software publishers and originates the sale of their software across Europe into companies with over 500 knowledge workers.
QBS operates Europe’s largest software delivery platform representing 8400 enterprise software publishers sold via 4000 reseller partners into 240,000 enterprises across Europe. QBS has offices in London, Paris, Vilnius, Cork and is rolling out a European expansion programme. QBS is scaling quickly and has been formally recognised by London Stock Exchange, CRN and several other research firms for their rapid and consistent growth. QBS has revenues approaching USD100million, 80 colleagues and 7 offices in Europe.
Stevinson has a background in technology firms with a passion for analytics and automation. He holds a BSc (hons) from Lancaster University, an MBA from Manchester Business School, and is currently enrolled on the OPM course at Harvard Business School. He resides in Alderley Edge, UK and is a keen rackets and court tennis player.
Q&A
What defines a successful leader?
Somebody who sets a positive example to their stakeholders and encourages them to move in the correct direction for the long term enhancement of enterprise value. Somebody who puts stakeholder value in front of shareholder primacy. A leader must be able to have clarity of vision coupled with the ability to execute on that vision.
Culture and talent are important to any company’s success. How do you engage and inspire your workforce?
I pride myself on being available to my team and genuinely caring about the development of all of our co-workers. Our motto is to ensure QBS is “where great people work together”. This means hiring, developing and retaining colleagues who work for the good of the client and publisher on one hand but have a strong team ethos. We recruit on particular attributes, teach expertise in our technology and always remain cognizant of the expression “who you hire is who you become.”
Innovation and disruption are reshaping industries every day. What do you see as the number one game changer facing business today?
Personally the correct use of software can change everything. In my lifetime I have seen what ERP, Analytics and Automation have done for businesses. For those enterprises who can grasp the value in investing and implementing the right software – there are miracles being made in productivity and efficiency that can lead to supernormal outcomes with unbelievable ROI.
Challenges abound in today’s fast-changing business environment. What keeps you up at night?
Bizarrely, it tends to be the superficial and idiosyncratic that keep one awake at night. The bigger issues keep me awake in the day. Yet I am proud to count sleeping as one of my greatest skills and have the habit of being able to sleep anywhere.
Even CEOs need downtime. How do you recharge?
Family time with my wife, children and pet dog is the best. Playing tennis or watching cricket is also relaxing in different ways. I take immense pleasure in reading and re-reading PG Wodehouse and make no apologies for giggling uncontrollably.
Why did you join Bloomberg Breakaway?
I was invited and after some initial discussions with the Bloomberg team, I was impressed with the restricted number of members and the quality of membership. I find the international aspect coupled with the Bloomberg resources to be invaluable for an international business like QBS.
In the news
QBS celebrates 32 years in business
QBS ranks in the 25 largest distributors in the UK
OpenText appoints QBS Software as distributor with GDPR driving demand
QBS acquires French software distributor
UK software distributor acquires Lithuanian counterpart UAB Laknova
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