chris taylor

What’s your favourite kind of coffee?

Black coffee. Chocolatey, nutty flavours are my favourite. When I can, I try to grind my own as I love the smell of freshly ground coffee and I you can really get the different flavours across coffees.

If you could have a coffee with anyone who would it be and why?

I think I’d like to have a drink with Sir Patrick Stewart although I seem to recall that he’s a Yorkshire Tea drinker so he may not join me in a coffee. Whilst he’s from around these parts and has great connections with the area, he’s had such a varied career, from his Jean-Luc Picard character in Star Trek (still going!) to his stage work and his films to games narration, not to mention his time as Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield. He’s done so much of interest. And during my time at the University, I spent a lot of time in a building that’s now named after him! I can imagine you could just start a conversation with “So” and then it would just take its own course from there.

What is your proudest achievement in business?

What a question! That’s a really difficult one to answer. My work covers a very wide range of projects and businesses, whether from nationwide infrastructure projects under brand new legislation that needed layers of robust contracts to be put in place where there was no starting point except legal principles, to helping with research into the alleviation of particular medical issues for people around the world and delivery of the necessary equipment, to writing rules for artwork competitions being held on a global digital platform to doing my bit to help the development of video games and getting them into people’s living rooms across regions of the world through distribution agreements. But my involvement in any of these things is only because of clients having the initiatives and their vision in the first place. I really enjoy working with wonderful, innovative clients and I just do my bit to help make their vision a reality.

What makes Eaton Smith different?

I’ve been with Eaton Smith for 15 years now and what I have seen over all that time is that we are all about relationships and working with clients for the long haul. We want to get to know clients, work with them and look after their needs for whatever they may encounter.

If you hadn’t gone down this career path what would you be doing and why?

I’m not sure, to be honest. I nearly went into coding at some point early on but that didn’t happen - at the time, it was too much of a leap into the unknown. I did the same holiday job for 6 years before starting in a paralegal role at another law firm and so didn’t experience a lot of different jobs. I loved English at school so any other career would probably be something that uses language – perhaps not Dictionary Corner on Countdown but something that uses the power of words and language. I have a client that says that my job is “words and stuff” and I think that sums me up pretty well.

What’s your prediction for businesses in the next 10 years?

The coronavirus has delivered a shake up across the country and the world and I think that we will all be dealing with that for some time. Whilst any business will need to concentrate on ensuring that its core products or services continue and evolve as necessary, harnessing and making the most of technology has become so much more important and it is the use of technology in business that I am interested in seeing. Many businesses have had to rely on their technology solutions more over the last few months but this is a perfect opportunity to use technology to reach wider audiences and customers. Businesses have more of a platform now to take products and services further afield. Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and I’m excited to see what businesses do with the technology available to them now and in the future to make the most out of the current global situation.

How do you relax outside of work?

Given that video games play such a large part in my workload, I read games industry-related magazines (it is relaxing, honest) and I play a lot of games myself and with my family (it is important to appreciate what my clients get up to…!). I read a lot of books on video games, from game design and legal issues through to books dealing with philosophy and such issues posed by games and their content. We go on family walks when there’s a spare hour or so and one of my children recently found my 30+ year old violin from when I was younger and that comes out of its case now and again (there’s more modern music involved though…). I can’t say I run or do things like that as I’m not sure running for a couple of miles on the pavement two or three times a year counts!