Percipient Founder and Managing Director, Chris Stock, steps into the ‘hot seat’ for a quick Q&A.
So Chris, as a Liverpool fan, they’re having a good season, aren’t they? I suppose there are some parallels to draw with Percipient which has had yet another excellent year. How is it all going?
Indeed, there are. It’s been a bit of a landmark year as we celebrated 20 years of business; signed up a record number of new customers; sold off our X3 division; and expanded our Sage Intacct team to support significant growth in the cloud ERP space.
So, two decades at the helm of a successful ERP business is impressive. How did you get into the IT industry and what made you start up Percipient?
I studied business information technology at college before taking up a software engineer position with a local company. Eight years into the role we saw a gap in the market and started up Percipient. Our ethos was focused on the fact that we felt we could offer a better level of customer service than existing market players, through quality people and the right culture. With our focus firmly rooted in delivering best-in-class business software, combined with the best consultants to match, that ethos over the last 20 years has remained consistent.
It’s been a great year of reflection hitting 20 this year, I’ve enjoyed looking back over the journey and I’m immensely proud of the team we currently have and the relationships we have in place with our key partners like Sage.
Does your support for Liverpool have a similar tenure?
Pretty much, yes! I followed other clubs in my youth, more following certain players. I was one of those kids running around the playground in the summer of 1986 with my hand bandaged up after Lineker scored his hat trick at Mexico 86! But I have spent many years now in the stands at Anfield, through good and through bad. Like anything you have to enjoy the good times but stay strong and keep the faith in the not-so-good times. It’s great at the moment as we have some fantastic talent and seem to be knitting together well as a team for some good results.
So apart from hanging out at Anfield, what do you like to do in your spare time?
I guess football is a fairly prevalent fixture in my free time as I coach my son’s U15s team. I love being involved in grassroots football and of course, it’s a good way to do my bit as the lads grow and develop into young men. It’s certainly not without its challenges at times.
I’ve been lucky through work as well and travelled to some great places, often without the chance to enjoy them properly, so it’s always great to get the chance to travel with my family. We have a break booked over New Year, so it will be good to enjoy some downtime.
Sounds dreamy….on the subject of relaxing, what did you do on your last day off?
We have two boys, one of whom is 14 and one who recently turned 18. We went to Manchester to celebrate our eldest’s birthday as a family which was lovely. We’re now making plans to cash in on the fact that he can drive and can reciprocate the many lifts from over the years!
When were you last starstruck?
I’m not one for getting overly starstruck when meeting anyone famous, however back in February at a game with Sage I met Kenny Dalglish.
Someone I view as a great sportsman, a true gentleman, and a real leader. He will also be a legend in the City of Liverpool for what he did in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster and his support for the families
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
That’s easy: always treat others how you’d like to be treated and always show respect. You never know who you’re talking to.
There is a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from that mantra. Now, on a lighter note, how do you feel about a few quickfire questions to finish the interview on?
Cat or dog?
Dog – I have two golden retrievers, one of which we had from a puppy in lockdown and was a godsend for getting out and about, and another more recent addition. They’re a great excuse to get out in the fresh air and reclaim head space.
Tea or coffee?
Coffee: caffeine is the fuel of the early morning!
Wine or beer?
It depends on the occasion! Can I say both? Beer at the pub, wine with a nice meal.
Netflix or Prime?
Netflix every time.
Thanks so much, Chris – it’s been a pleasure chatting with you and we all look forward to hearing more about Percipient’s successes over the next 12 months. Merry Christmas and all the best for 2024.