Tell us a bit about yourself, background and your current role:
I’m Adam Herbert, Co-Founder and CEO of Go Live Data based in Manchester.
I’ve worked in the data and marketing sector for over twenty years in various roles and now run one of the UK’s largest data agencies having grown the team to over twenty, with a million pound-plus turnover in just three years.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
I knew I wanted to work in marketing in some way but the data sector kind of crept up on me. I was always fascinated by customer acquisition and how businesses would reach potential new customers. I also wanted to create a company that would do more and go further for its clients than others. To me, we’re an extension of our client’s teams. We work with them and empower them to go down routes they may not have considered before.
Sadly data had a negative reputation for a while. Now, thanks to improved regulations, better education and advanced systems, we’re able to use data in a positive way that benefits clients and their customers.
Have you faced any challenges along the way?
We’ve actually been incredibly lucky. My Co-Founder Tim Langley and I have an exceptional team around us, but that hasn’t happened by accident. We’ve really invested in creating a positive working environment that’s adaptive to all individuals. We pride ourselves on creating a neurodiverse safe space and have actively adapted our working ways to ensure everyone can join Go Live Data and have their needs met and supported.
Our biggest challenge has been getting a robust and world-class customer success programme defined and implemented. We had so many false starts across processes and personnel but we now have this in a great place.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
We were privileged to be part of the first E2E 100 series in association with The Independent newspaper in 2023. Go Live Data provided the data for the tracks and played a key part in showcasing the 600 businesses which made the tracks which were featured in The Independent.
In 2023 we were also shortlisted for the GBEA awards and ranked 31 of 100 in our first year of entering the Techround 100. To be recognised so early on in our journey by such leading names in the entrepreneurial space is fantastic and a credit to the team.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
Passion. We’re all hugely passionate about what we do. I’m a relationships person and thrive on creating lasting and meaningful relations with our clients. Tim is a numbers guy and tech geek. Sometimes we’re poles apart but we work amazingly together due to our mutual respect’s way of thinking, which compliments us as a team and the wider business. Our differing skill sets deliver the very best results for our clients. This allows everyone to bring their A-game and most importantly, to be themselves in an environment that supports that.
How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?
Mentoring is a key skill to have and takes time and effort, I have had the benefit of being mentored personally in the past and have reaped the benefit and now mentor to pass on those skills.
What can businesses/government/allies do to help diversity and inclusion?
Stop making it about a tick-sheet and recognise it’s about people. The statistics are there and clear to see, businesses with diverse teams perform better than those which don’t.
We also feel that diversity doesn’t just cover race or gender. It also needs to be supportive of the neuro-diverse workforce who are grossly overlooked and undervalued.
There are zero FTSE 100 board members who identify as neurodivergent and only 4% of FTSE companies have a neurodivergent policy (2022). In 2020, 50% of managers when interviewed anonymously said they would never hire someone with neurodivergent traits and pointed to the view that neurodivergent thinkers don’t ‘fit’ and become entrepreneurs to prove this.
This must be addressed. According to the National Autistic Society, 45% of neurodivergent people have lost or left their job because of challenges due to being misunderstood and, as of 2023, only 1 in 16 autistic adults are in full-time employment. Fox & Partners LLP have noted the rise in employment tribunals citing neurodiversity discrimination, with cases jumping 25% year-on-year.
Our ND inclusivity starts from the very beginning and is built into our corporate DNA. Our very first interview is a ‘cultural’ interview which takes place in a quiet coffee shop. Our objective is to understand the individual, quirks, and all, and only in subsequent interviews will we try to understand their fit for the role. When working within our teams, we focus more on clear written communication as opposed to face-to-face meetings, this gives our ND employees time to digest and reflect on the content versus being blindsided and forced to make decisions on the spot. As a final example, we’re extremely flexible in our working patterns, we operate hybrid working and, outside of core hours, staff can choose a routine to suit their individual needs.
Why do you think it’s important for men to support gender equality in the workplace?
It’s not just important, it’s imperative. We work in the data sector which is traditionally a very male-dominated sector but we’re trying to change this. The first step as always is to make the environment appealing to everyone.
We offer flexible working hours and hybrid working making it easier for parents to manage childcare arrangements.
We’re also actively recruiting apprentices and want to ensure that all genders know about the data sector and the progressive track available for those who are passionate about tech.
The tech sector is still very unrepresented by women and we want to see more businesses actively trying to change this by making their environment supportive of everyone.
And this goes deeper than just saying we want more women in the sector. We need to ensure that we’re showcasing our companies as an attractive place to work that actively supports women and has policies in place from shared parental leave, childcare support, flexible working, and menopause policies. To date, we have been heavily male-dominated, but our first employee was female, and our latest recruit is female. As I said it’s the sector as a whole is heavily male-dominated but we are changing the face of the industry one hire at a time.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be?
Trust your gut feel and don’t procrastinate on decisions as you often learn more from the mistakes you make than the successes.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
To date, a lot of our work has been pioneering but lots of businesses understand data etc. and with our new products we are moving into a conceptual world where education is going to be a big part of how we go to market, as we bring to it ‘never seen before’ technology.
We want to actively expand Go Live Data internationally. We’re already working with global clients including Amazon and AXA and would love to see us open offices globally.
We’re already on track to grow the team in 2024 and hope to double this from 20-40 by 2025.
