IT Leader profile: Jay Daley

What does your job entail?
A lot of the basics – planning and more planning. It is amazing how so many people struggle with it. The fun stuff though is the strategy and architecture.

What was your first job in IT?
Programming a Digital PDP 11/70 on the gilts trading floor of a merchant bank during the boom of the 1980s. The people varied from East End barrow boys to those with a first class honours degree in classics, but they all worked together well and they all tried to give me advice.

How did you get into IT?
I wanted to work in the City as a trader but at my first interview I was offered a job "with the man in the corner who looks after the computer" to gain market experience for a year. After a month I was hooked, and after nine months I felt as if anything was possible.

What are the biggest IT challenges you face?
Getting as much done as I would like. IT still has an astonishing level of DIY to it. For the same reason I drive an automatic car with automatic lights and automatic wipers, I want IT to “just work” without the fuss.

Which IT qualifications have proved most useful to you in your career?
The Itil Managers Certificate. IT is still a maturing profession and best practice is certainly not ubiquitous. Itil tackles that with a structure of best practice and a common vocabulary.

What keeps you up at night?
Nothing. If you don't maintain a good work/life balance then you can't step back and have the strategic oversight of your work that you need if you are to make a real difference in the long term.