Profile - Dr Bob Gomersall: Teaching through technology is object lesson in business growth

Back in the mid-1980s, Dr Bob Gomersall had a vision of an education system where students could be tested using a computer.

At the time, he was head of physics at Bradford Grammar School and many computers were souped-up calculators with blotchy graphics. The "computer room" at school was strictly for geeks.

But Mr Gomersall believed that the traditional way of examining pupils – in vast, cathedral-like exam halls – wasn't the only one.

Time would prove him right.

He founded Bradford Technology, which is now known as BTL and has a turnover of 3m. Over the years, it's helped thousands of students to gain qualifications using their computer keyboard.

He recalled: "It was founded with the vision of changing and dramatically improving education through the use of technology."

But initially, the company made medical equipment. Its first product – an audiometer – helped medical staff to assess patients' hearing.

Technological progress, such as the launch of CD-Roms, helped it to gain a foothold in the educational sector. It even produced a range of teaching CDs based on the Mr Men characters.

Recent successes have included a contract to provide an on-screen examination system to AQA, one of the largest examination boards in England, for a minimum of six years.

In 1995, Mr Gomersall co-founded his second company, The Virtual College, in Ilkley, which provides online training for qualifications such as NVQs.

Today it employs 50 people and reels in turnover of 3.5m a year. His entrepreneurial skills were in demand, so he left Bradford Grammar in 1997, to spend all his time developing businesses.

"We set up the Virtual College because we couldn't find training providers who would adopt the technology,'' Mr Gomersall recalled.

"That's what has happened during the course of my business career. If you can't find somebody else to do it, you do it yourself."

His "roll your sleeves up" approach also led to the establishment of the Advanced Digital Institute (ADI) in Saltaire, near Bradford, in 2005.

Backed by public sector funding from Yorkshire Forward, it was inspired by a project in Karlsruhe, Germany, which helped academics and businesses to work together.

ADI aims to act as a bridge between universities and industry and ensure that bright ideas and research aren't wasted.

There can be cultural tensions between the two. Universities operate on a typical timescale of three years – the length of a PhD project – while companies want to turn projects around in a matter of months so they can steal a march on their rivals.

Mr Gomersall said: "One thing I have learned is how to get technology businesses going with very few resources.

"The Virtual College has continued to grow. This year it will grow about 40 per cent on last year. Our problem is deciding which areas to not go into. There are so many opportunities.

"With the ADI we were supported by Yorkshire Forward financially which has helped us to move forward. It has got to the point of being self-sustaining. We have been collaborating with large successful companies. But we are also focused on small embryo companies. By sitting in the middle, we have introduced opportunities for both parties."

A lot of the projects are so commercially sensitive that he can't talk about them. But one area which excites him is tele-health. He believes that intelligent use of technology could save the NHS millions.

He enthuses: "Tele-health is about the new ways of delivering healthcare by using online and related technologies to do such things as online diagnostics, and online consultations.

"It will create major efficiency gains, and more importantly, bring benefits for the patients. There's a great case study in the States, by the American Veterans' Association, who have been doing tele-health for quite a while and they've found it to be a fantastic success."

He added: "It's very easy to attract people to Yorkshire. It's an attractive place to live and work and there's no shortage of talent."

He started his working life as a theoretical physicist with a passion for walking. Over time, this passion for the hills led to another business venture.

Mr Gomersall is chairman of HF Holidays, which dates from 1913 and is one of the largest walking holiday specialists in the world.

"I started being a leader for HF Holidays when I was a student," he recalled. "I spent all my holidays leading walks in the Lake District and mountains of Scotland.

"I became interested in their structure – it's a provident society which means it's a co-operative. I stood for election to the board when I was quite young and I've ended up as chairman.

"For me, it's been a very valuable introduction to business experience at a high level.

"Over half our holidays are UK-based. You'd think that sitting in a boardroom would be the same in all businesses but somehow it's much more interesting talking about holidays!"

The ADI's work is led by the market, and Mr Gomersall has high hopes of turning the Aire Valley, a former textile industry hub, into a centre of excellence for technology firms.

He said: "The future is definitely with those businesses that are prepared to be innovative and move quickly on their feet. The main problem is the drag weight of the public sector.

"We're getting quite close to the point where the tax system cannot support the expenditure that's being put on it.

"That's a real problem for light-footed private sector businesses.

"Certainly the businesses I'm involved with have hardly seen the credit crunch. They are not highly leveraged and they are all structured for growth.

"That's something I'm very keen on. If you're not structured for growth and innovation then your company will die."

Dr Bob Gomersall

Title: Chairman of BTL Group and the Virtual College Group

Date of birth: August 25 1950

Education: Leeds Grammar School, Universities of Durham and Bristol

First job: Max Planck Institut, Stuttgart

Favourite song: Wild Mountain Thyme

Car driven: Volvo

Favourite film: Miss Potter

Last book read: The Origin of Wealth (Eric Beinhocker)

Favourite holiday destination: Lake District

What are you most proud of? My family and all my business colleague