Manny Athwal is the founder and CEO of School of Coding and AI - the UK’s largest computer science and coding education company, He oversees the running and expansion of the business. He founded the business in 2017 after losing his job working for a large Hedge Fund in the City.
HOW IS YOUR JOB IMPACTED BY FLUCTUATIONS IN THE ECONOMY? As a school and a digital skills provider, we’re obviously mindful of how businesses are managing their budgets and how much they have available to pay for training. The flip-side of that is that companies want to invest in AI and technology that will help them weather economic uncertainties and our strength lies in helping them with that.
WHAT’S YOUR VIEW ON HYBRID AND FLEXIBLE WORKING – IS IT STILL NEEDED, OR PRACTICAL? It’s inevitable. Once you have given people a taste of something that allows them to strike a better work/life balance, then going back is almost impossible. AI and computing tools that are advancing all the time make hybrid working more and more practical, even in areas where we once thought it was impossible, like teaching.
HOW DO YOU VIEW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – AND HOW MIGHT YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS USE IT? AI is right there in the name of our school - we were originally School of Coding and added the AI very quickly as the technology developed. Embracing AI is no longer an option, it is a necessity to thrive in the digital age. That was one of the drivers behind us investing in a new AI tech lab at our Birmingham campus - every single business will use AI in some way, and we want to make sure workers have the tools they need to adapt to that.
HOW DO YOU HOPE YOUR COLLEAGUES WOULD DESCRIBE YOU? Compassionate. Inclusive. A good leader.
YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH IN THE WORKPLACE? I would hope it's my leadership skills. I have seen a lot of ‘leaders’ who don’t really take people on the journey with them and are afraid to delegate responsibility, but I surround myself with the best people, so why wouldn’t I let them get on with what they're good at?
BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN YOUR JOB? Having enough time to do everything I want to achieve!
YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS? Founding School of Coding & AI in the first place and then developing it into the UK’s leader in its field with now eight brands under the SoC umbrella. The school has won a number of awards, and I have been honoured to receive awards personally, but even the personal awards are a testament to the team behind me.
PET HATES? People not dressing appropriately for the job.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF SOME WISE ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Don't do things which add no value to your or others lives.
HOW DO YOU RELAX AWAY FROM WORK? Spending time with my wife and kids, and going for walks and on holidays.
FAVOURITE THING ABOUT SHROPSHIRE? The countryside views.
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM OF CHOICE? LinkedIn – It is a great place to share views and build strong connections.
FAVOURITE MOVIE AND/OR TV SHOW? Casino Royale 007.
EARLY BIRD, OR NIGHT OWL? Night owl.
DREAM DINNER PARTY GUESTS, DEAD OR ALIVE? Henry Ford, Mother Teresa, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates and Ratan Tata.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY WOULDN’T KNOW. I make the best lemon cheesecakes.
AND FINALLY . . . WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NEXT 12 MONTHS HAS IN STORE FOR YOU, PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY? Professionally, we have many exciting plans in the pipeline. We are looking at more university partnerships and planning to create 100 new jobs over the next three years, as we push toward our long-term goal of building a global education ecosystem with the potential to become a unicorn business. Personally, I’m looking forward to spending more quality time with my family and travelling more.
