Tony Donoghue

Part of the IT Leaders 100 - a list of the most influential IT leaders in the UK

Tony has spent his entire career working in IT - from the early days in retail, to designing components for the telecoms industry. Later he moved into a more traditional IT role, spending 10 years designing and building large network infrastructures for the NHS.

He now runs Magikos IT, specifically aiming to help SMEs take advantage of corporate IT organisations' research. For example, advising them on open-source software, migrating to cloud services or using cloud backup.

How do you ensure diversity is taken into account in your IT recruitment?

Recruitment is about finding a person with the right knowledge, skills and attitude - not about race, creed or gender.

Which technology are you currently most excited by?

All technology that moves the industry forward and enables clients to meet and satisfy their IT objectives and goals.

What do you to unwind?

Walk the dog and spend quality time with family and friends.

If you were an animal (other than human), which animal would you be and why?

While not strictly an animal: an owl. They seem to be fairly laid back and just get on with everything in the background without fuss or needing to be front and centre, but however busy/panicked they are, they remain calm to the outside world and carefully consider all available options.

What makes you laugh?

Typically anything a 10-year-old would find funny, such as people tripping or falling off bikes, skateboards etc. Certainly nothing intellectual. Billy Connelly & Micky Flannigan are two of my favourite comics - very observational humour.

How did you get into IT?

Using early home/school computers and trying to find out how they worked and how to make them do the things that I wanted them to do.