01732 759725
AND FINALLY
Philip Bond,
Managing Director, Vision PLC
60 seconds with…
What’s currently having the
greatest impact on your
business?
We are currently seeing some
good opportunities coming
from our corporate and public
sector accounts and this is
having a positive impact on
our performance as we look to
grow year-on-year.
Service margins were
being impacted earlier this
fiscal year. However, we have
worked to address this with
more effective management
and supply chain. Clients with
Managed Printing Solutions
often see consumables as highly
important, but without a value
– it’s all about managing service
delivery to meet and ideally
exceed client expectations.
Where do you see the next
big opportunity?
The services market with value-
added products as enablers
remains an exciting opportunity
long-term, although the
market is taking some time
to address this. Cloud and
per seat revenues combined
with support are continuing
to grow and we have invested
to take full advantage of this
opportunity in our business
long-term.
What would make your day
job easier?
Sales hitting target ahead
of month end, every month!
Joking aside, we are focused
on using technology to improve
productivity and efficiency
and I am really lucky that we
have a good strong team in all
business areas. Whilst we come
across the challenges that all
businesses face, that support
makes the day job a lot easier.
What’s the best bit of
business advice you’ve
been given?
The best advice I have had,
which I took note of early
on in my career, is that you
cannot be good at everything,
so build a strong team to help
you manage and develop the
business.
Balance out responsibilities,
utilising the best skills in
all business areas, from
sales, marketing, finance,
administration and support.
If you had had a crystal
ball, would you have done
anything differently?
It’s always easy to think
you could have done things
differently, and we have
experienced growing pains as
a result of consecutive year-
on-year growth. That’s a nice
problem to have. Of course, we
have made mistakes. However
they have made us stronger
and, most importantly, we have
learned from them – and must
continue to learn from them!
Describe your most
embarrassing moment.
None come to mind.
50
What was your first job?
My first job was at Vision – my father co-founded the business. I quickly
became hugely passionate about our business and am thrilled to see it
continuously grow and develop.
What would be your dream job?
My dream job would be a ski guide, I love exploring the mountains and the
openness and fresh air, although I’m not sure what I would do
out of season…I have always liked the idea of trading in the
city – the thrill and buzz of the markets.
Money’s not an issue, what’s your perfect car …
and where would you like to drive it?
I have always loved classic cars, so it would have to be a Ferrari,
although I also really like some of the new, high performance
cars on the market. Driving along the winding coast of the
South of France or the Amalfi coast in Italy would be amazing.
Fine dining and good wine, or curry and a pint?
Although I really like both and you can’t beat a good curry, I
think it would probably be fine dining and a good wine.
Favourite holiday destination.
Portugal. It’s a beautiful country and I love fresh fish, which
Portugal is renowned for.
How do you like to spend your spare time?
With my family. We love doing things together – sports, fun and
activities.
