Business Diary: October 16

The Sheffield-based stock market darling does all sorts of clever things that are fairly impenetrable to the layman.

Now the company is developing new technology that will protect internet giants such as Amazon and Facebook when disaster strikes. In the past, electrical storms and vandalism have knocked out these companies for hours.

But pity our poor scribe when she had this conversation with WANdisco’s chairman and chief executive David Richards.

Richards: “Two hunters in Oregon were bored. One said I bet you can’t shoot that lion over there. So he shot the lion, which shut down internet access and knocked out a million people logging on to Facebook.”

Diary: “Sorry David, did you say he shot a lion? In Oregon?

Richards: “Yes that’s right. He was bored so he shot the lion.”

Diary: “I don’t understand. Were they near a zoo?”

Richards: “No idea.”

Diary: “David, I don’t think there are many lions roaming around Oregon and if there were, why should shooting one of them knock out the internet?”

Richards: “Haha! No it was an overhead lion.”

Diary: “I’m really confused now David. Is ‘an overheard lion’ some software term I don’t know?”

Richards (spluttering): “Haha hee hee! No he shot an overhead line, you know a wire cable.”

Diary: “Ah! You really had me lost there David. Understanding WANdisco is tricky at the best of times, but let’s leave big game out of it.”

Richards: “Right you are!”

Supply is skin deep

WHEN you’re in the delicate business of regrowing body parts, it helps to have robust – if slightly macabre – supply chains.

Fortunately for York-based biotech firm Tissue Regenix, there is no shortage of raw material for its dCELL skin patches.

Managing director Antony Odell told investors at its recent technology day that Tissue has a ready supply of raw material for its patches – basically pieces of human skin washed clean of cells by a strong detergent. “Interestingly, Americans have 20 per cent more skin than Europeans,” said Mr Odell, before apologising to Americans in the room.

“There’s no shortage of human skin in Europe or the US.”

He added: “I have a bizarre job sometimes.”

Sitting on the fence

YOU don’t rise to the top of the civil service without being an extremely shrewd operator.

Lord Gus O’Donnell is certainly one, but Diary could not resist trying to catch him out during his visit to Leeds last week.

The former cabinet secretary had ruled himself out of the race to succeed Sir Mervyn King as the next Governor of the Bank of England.

The two frontrunners appear to be Deputy Governor Paul Tucker and Lord Adair Turner, chairman of the Financial Services Authority.

Diary asked: “Do you think that job needs a fresh set of eyes?”

Answering ‘yes’ might suggest his support for Lord Turner, while ‘no’ could indicate a preference for Tucker.

Throwing his hands in the air and laughing, Lord O’Donnell said: “No... I’m not going to get dragged into... I don’t know who has applied.

“I genuinely don’t know. I thought it would be useful for me to say I hadn’t applied.

“Whoever it is they will need the support of everybody because it’s going to be a really tough job.”

Nice not nasty

DIARY often wonders how exactly certain people make it to the top. Is it just down to tough, ruthless ambition?

David Wootton, the Lord Mayor of the City of London and a long-serving partner at top City law firm Allen & Overy, dismissed the idea. He told Diary you have to be tough on yourself and few people prosper by making enemies.

“You prosper by being good at the job and by making yourself valuable to your employer so that when they need somebody to help they think of you.”

It’s important to be nice to other people, rather than nasty, he added.

With decent values like that, you can tell he’s a Yorkshireman.

On the fast track

Diary is always pleased to hear of a Yorkshire company winning an award with added va-va voom. Bradford-based Complete IT Systems won a sponsorship package of a Ferrari racing car in the Ferrari challenge series at Silverstone.

It was part of a contest organised by Kaspersky Lab, the IT security company. The day ended with Complete Systems’ Ferrari taking the chequered flag.