John Davison: Five things I would change about Guernsey

Friday 31 August 2018

John Davison is the Chief Information Officer for First Central Group in Guernsey, and is also one of the keen participants in this year's Tour de Sez - a charity cycle ride which will raise thousands of pounds in memory of Sarah Groves.

In his role at FCG, John is the architect of Focus, the market-leading technology platform used by First Central Group. He has a passion for strong technical design principles and the application of technology to disrupt and enhance processes.

In his fundraising capacity, he will join nearly 100 other cyclists to ride more than 700 miles from St Malo to Amsterdam, all to raise money for the Sarah Groves Foundation.

Express caught up with John ahead of his challenge to ask him five things he might want to change about the island. 

1. The Wind

I, along with almost 100 riders have signed up for the Tour De Sez.  

I must confess that until I started training for this event I paid little attention to the wind here on island, save enjoying seeing the waves crash against some of our rugged coast line.  Not so now - the wind, particularly as I cycle the west coast has a huge impact on my pace and stamina. 

I find it unfathomable that I can cycle the perimeter of the island seemingly into a headwind the whole time so therefore if I could change anything, I’d at least make it blow in a consistent direction – and then cycle that way!

Pictured: Some of the participants in the Tour de Sez.

2. Transport

I know this comes up a lot, and I do mean a lot!  I am father of three, soon to be four, children and it is a constant source of frustration at the limited choice and high cost of getting to and from Guernsey. 

I accept that the States are in a very difficult position rightly calling out the Gatwick route as being crucial to the island and therefore securing that with the States owned airline. I do wonder if there is something more creative that can be done to provide islanders with cost effective access to the UK and Europe – perhaps looking at the taxation or social security systems to raising funds as a way of subsidising ticket prices. Aurigny are on a hiding to nothing as things stand, they are trying to balance delivering a fit for purpose service to the community and in essence trying to do so without making a loss. I don’t know much about the aviation business but it’s obvious that they would be conflicted when setting ticket prices.

Pictured: Guernsey's States owned airline, Aurigny.

3. Social Media

I am a technologist by trade and therefore this one might surprise you a little.  Facebook is awash with islanders with opinions and comments on aspects of island life.  Sometimes it is amusing, watching people castigate relentlessly for a car parked inconsiderately or not using a filter properly however I also think it is unhealthy and unhelpful to be using social media as a platform to voice negative opinions on matters which we, as voters have the ability (and obligation) to influence.  So instead of hiding behind our keyboards with, in many cases, passionate and well-articulated arguments relating to the States why don’t we engage with the democratic process and do something about it!

Pictured: Social media isn't always a force for good said Mr Davison.

4. Promoting job choice for our young people

FCG create and run some great technology right here on island and employ some talented people.  When we first started building this team in late 2011 I was struck by how narrow the perspectives were of of the young people coming to interview.  Many of our school leavers believe that there is little for them here – particularly if they have a passion for technology and as a consequence see their career path taking them to the UK, never to return.

Clearly our finance industry is hugely important to the island however there are also businesses, like FCG, that are on the forefront of great technology and I would like to see Guernsey make a bigger deal of our pedigree in this space too.

Guernsey has lots to offer technology businesses; we are well connected, have excellent data centre capabilities and even our legal system offers some unique opportunities to protect intellectual property. If Guernsey has the foresight to create an environment where technology businesses can thrive I see no reason why we could not also be seen as an attractive place for digital businesses to base themselves.

Pictured: the 2018 Career's fair.

5. Our beaches and litter

I am hugely fortunate to live here on island, and to do so right on the west coast. I love nothing more than taking a walk down the beach with my kids. When we do I am always struck by how much litter there is. I make a point of picking up what we find, often making a game of it as we go. I know more often than not this debris is likely to have been swept in with the waves which is the much wider problem of man made pollution to the seas, however I’m also sure much of it comes inadvertently from Guernsey too. I’d like to change that, if it were possible, so that our fabulous beaches stay at their pristine best for us all to enjoy.

Pictured: Some of the litter collected in a beach clean that took place this year.