Age: 28
What he’s learnt: “Empower your team and bring them up with you.”
Described by Arcadia’s head of software engineering John Pillar as a “true leader of the future”, Simon Lockyer has had a tangible impact on the business since joining last year.
“Simon has transformed his function in a short space of time, attracting praise from senior stakeholders and building levels of trust between the technology and digital teams that previously did not exist,” says Pillar.
A high-pressure start to Lockyer’s career, at advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, proved a vital learning experience. Already balancing a heavy workload and tight deadlines on very little sleep, in 2014 he was asked to move into a more senior position on the team.
“Although it was unbelievably testing, that early effort has been one of the best things I have ever done for my career,” he explains.
His ultimate ambition is to become a chief technology officer, something Pillar agrees is well within his reach.
Meanwhile, Lockyer’s passion lies in the ever-changing and increasingly important world of digital innovation: “The advances in technology are huge, and there’s still so much to be explored, especially in physical stores.”
Career path:
2017 Software engineering manager, Arcadia Group
2016 Head of development, KHWS
2015 Lead front end developer, KHWS
2014 Lead front end developer, Saatchi & Saatchi
2013 Front end developer, Saatchi & Saatchi
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