With the deadline for the inaugural TBE Awards under a month away, The Business Exchange is putting the spotlight on our category sponsors.
Dr Andrew Dixon is Managing Director of SVGC, a Techies Award-winning company which has been providing digital transformation and digital design services to the public sector for 27 years.
As sponsor of the Best Start-Up category, Andrew and the team at SVGC are keen to apply their knowledge and experience to support the region’s start-ups to progress from academia into delivery.
Can you give us a summary of your career journey?
As a Software Engineering PhD and later Systems Engineer, I have worked in Aerospace, Defence and Security for over 30 years. Originally in big businesses like BAE SYSTEMS and EADS, with a stint in the Ministry of Defence, I recognised the contribution that small businesses and academia can make. I was privileged to become Director of an amazing partnership called Niteworks which had an enormous impact on Defence procurement. I became MD and later CEO of SVGC in 2012 and have focused on diversity across the public sector and leveraging off our 20-year history of Digitally enabled Evidence Based Decisions for the public sector.
Today I am passionate about Collaboration and do a lot of work with TechUK (a national trade body) and the Institute for Collaborative Working to promote collaboration between small and large businesses. I love to encourage and enable small businesses to succeed which is why I am so proud to sponsor the TBE awards in the best start-up category.
What is the story behind SVGC? Where did it all start and what services do you offer today?
SVGC has been supporting the public sector to make great decisions for over 27 years. Originally founded by four ex-military personnel to provide support to the Ministry of Defence, we have continued the tradition of providing advisory and digital services to the Public Sector. Our services are now increasingly in demand from Government departments, commercial organisations and the nuclear sector because we focus on delivering outcomes rather than simply selling knowledge or products.
We provide transformative advisory and digital design services to enable effective and efficient business processes and decision-making. Our services include:
- Strategic and enterprise planning
- Digital transition and transformation
- Solution and enterprise architectures
- Data science and advanced analytics
- Secure cloud software integration
- Capability management
- Systems and requirements engineering
- Strategic change
- Portfolio, programme and project management
What advice would you give to someone operating a start-up?
Have a good strategy and be prepared to allow this to evolve as the context changes. Seek out and listen to good advice, not all advice is equal! So, be discerning about your information and advice sources. Trust your instincts. Ensure you have a diverse range of thinking and beliefs within your team or organisation. Allow divergence but remember you have to converge to drive solutions forward. Avoid fragmenting to death – choose your focus and drive it relentlessly. Be humble about your own capabilities whilst owning your strengths – work collaboratively to develop something new and unique.
Supporting initiatives that you are passionate about is a powerful way for the business to be part of growing something bigger than itself. At SVGC, we are deeply passionate about empowering the next generation to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Our Senior Consultant in Systems Engineering, Victoria Hatwell, dedicates half a day each month to working with schools as part of our STEM outreach initiative. This program aims to engage children through fun, hands-on activities that make learning STEM subjects exciting and accessible.
What was the hardest lesson you learned along the way?
Trust is a two-way street and is earned. We all need to put the effort in to gain trust, yet too many people feel entitled to this. Believe and create conditions for a positive outcome, but when you need to make a change, be prepared and brave enough to do so. If people are not delivering for you, be bold because you will find some that will. When you find the right people, reward them, empower them and enable them to succeed. You will be surprised where it takes you when you are deliberate about creating the conditions for success.
Also, the more energy you put in, the better the outcome and results, but don’t be surprised if the results are not in the areas in which you put your energy. Learn to roll with uncertainty and embrace and harness the opportunities presented by your energy. When the universe rewards you for putting energy in, don’t argue that the universe picked the wrong outcome!
Why is Wiltshire / Salisbury a good place to base your business?
It is a great combination of all that a modern, digitally focused business needs; a good location to work with the whole of the South of England; excellent connections to the rest of the country and good facilities. These are balanced with the other essentials that help humans to be creative and minimise stress – with some of our contemporaries in sterile, standard offices, our countryside location is a tonic to our staff and our clients. The rolling hills and views with an office surrounded by sheep and farmland is a real bonus and with high-speed broadband, what could be better?
Why have you chosen to sponsor TBE Awards 2024?
As an “mature” SME, I think it is important to give something back and SVGC is proud to be sponsoring the Best Start-up 2024 category. We have grown from four members of staff to over 30, so we understand the dedication and hard work that is required to get a business off the ground. The reason that we work with organisations like TBE and TechUK is to be part of something bigger.
I am passionate about supporting SMEs to gain opportunities and combining knowledge and tools that pull through from academia into delivery. We would be thrilled to help support the winner of this category with advice on strategy and growth as a way of giving back.
Having led a mature small technology business for over a decade, as well as having senior experience both in the public sector and industry, I have seen the immense possibilities and benefits of collaborative working between small and large organisations.
What do TBE Awards mean to businesses?
As a former winner of a TBE award ourselves, we really value the time and effort involved in bringing these awards together. Running a small business is relentless and challenging, so being recognised gives you something to hold onto which helps make the effort worthwhile. I would encourage all small businesses in the area to submit for an award. Even thinking about yourself and why you are great gives you a positive mindset – and that is something small businesses don’t spend enough time doing.
To find out more about the TBE Awards and to enter visit: www.tbeawards.co.uk
