Say hello to James Taylor

How did you start working with Accredit?

I have known Nicola, Accredit Managing Director, for a number of years. I had followed the growth of Accredit Solutions from afar for a number of years whilst I focussed on growing a number of start-ups. Eventually, the time was right and I was really excited to join forces!

What does your role entail at Accredit?

I work with our sales team as the first point of contact for organisations interested in learning about the Accredit platform. I love to hear about their organisations and the challenges they face in their security and accreditation for their venues and events. Our breadth of clients is incredibly diverse and we are always looking to partner with organisations from different sectors, no matter how complex or unique their accreditation process is. I have a fantastic team working with me who are true subject matter experts and we all love to talk accreditation!

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I am motorcycle obsessed! Over lockdown, I built my first fully custom café racer and at the weekend I often go racing on my Yamaha R1. My dream is to see more of the world from a motorcycle.

What are your biggest personal or professional achievements?

I have now led the sales for two technology startups through periods of rapid growth. Startups are incredibly difficult but also incredibly rewarding.  The satisfaction that comes from seeing the business grow and the brand become recognisable within your industry is huge. Both businesses were subsequently acquired but the start-up mindset never really leaves you!

If you could change something from your past what would it be?

Life is full of ups and downs but there is nothing that I would change.

Who is the person you admire the most and why?

My Dad. He’s one of those people who can get along with everyone and is the person we all look to for advice.

How would your friends describe you?

Competitive, sporty, laid back. I made some of my best friends at university and we still all meet-up regularly despite being spread across the country.

How do you think the accreditation process for events will evolve in the coming year?

Technology continues to evolve and I think we will see more and more high-tech solutions, particularly within access control, but also in the way your accreditation is held. Stand-off detection is something I am particularly interested in as I’m not a fan of queuing (very un-British of me!) and anything that can speed up this process would get a big tick from me. In the first instance though I think there is a real need to get the basics right and there are too many instances over the last few years where issues have been very avoidable.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on in your time at Accredit?

I’ve worked on a couple of projects now where sustainability is absolutely at the top of the agenda which has been fantastic to see and I think will only become more and more important for planning and putting on major events.

What is your favourite functionality aspect of the Accredit platform?

The various registration options. I have seen on far too many occasions, across multiple sectors, how reliance on spreadsheets leads to major issues down the line. Multiple versions, no audit trails, and no error-checking are just some of the things that I see regularly. By putting the emphasis on responsible organisations it creates a much smoother and less administratively heavy process that can really change the way an organisation operates. This is particularly vital for accreditation where there are often large quantities of data that are changing all the time.

If you could spend 5 minutes with any person alive or dead who would it be and why?

Valentino Rossi – I have followed his career from start to finish and went to see him race his last race at the end of last season. It felt like the end of an era. I would love to know what motivates him and how he was able to stay at such a high level for so many years. I would also like to hang around for one of his famous parties after he won a race!

Tell us a joke

At the swimming pool, I decided to have a sneaky pee in the deep end. The lifeguard noticed and blew his whistle so loud I nearly fell in!