Simon Thompson, 2010 Honoree
- Title
- Vice president, information systems
- Employer
- Mitel Networks Corp.
- Location
- Kanata,, Ontario, Canada
- First job:
- Washing cars
- Most valuable career advice:
- "Leave it better for the next guy. There will be a next guy."
- Favorite vice:
- "Cold beer on a hot afternoon."
- Would you advise young people to pursue an IT career?
- "Yes, but not for IT's sake -- focus on IT as an enabler to achieve something, not as an end in itself."
- If I were not in this business, I would probably be...
- "a landscape gardener."
- Favorite gadget:
- "A Garmin Forerunner GPS for running."
- Leadership philosophy in a nutshell:
- "Don't be afraid to say, 'I don't understand,' since that means you're paying attention. Accountability is very important, but allow failures to occur. Don't try to find scapegoats."
- Recreational best:
- Reached an altitude of 20,000 feet altitude while mountaineering.
- Favorite sport:
- Mountain biking
- What's in your MP3 or CD player right now?
- Janis Joplin
- In high school, I was...
- "a beekeeper."
- A recent great read:
- Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943, by Antony Beevor