WILL BUTLER-ADAMS OBE

WILL BUTLER-ADAMS OBE

CEO, Brompton Bicycle

An engineer by trade, WILL BUTLER ADAMS OBE joined Brompton Bicycle as Project Manager in 2002 rising to Engineering Director three years later before becoming Group CEO in 2008.

Today Brompton employs around 850 people, the majority at its UK manufacturing base in Greenford, which has recently produced the company’s millionth bike.

A passionate advocate for seizing the day, Will is on a mission to get more people moving on two wheels for the sake of the environment as well as their physical and mental health and the subsequent positive impact on the health service.

He is also the author of The Brompton – Engineering for Change which explores the history of the company to date, from its transformation from cottage industry to global brand.

https://www.brompton.com/

Take us back to the beginning of your Brompton journey.

The story about how I had a conversation with Brompton’s then chairman on a bus and decided to go and work for them is well known but in reality that part of the tale was just serendipity. Opportunity flows past all of us and we watch it go but you have to step outside your comfort zone else nothing will happen. You need to be a yes person which is a far harder word than no.

I’ve always felt in my work like I wanted to do something that is positive and adds value. I used to be in the chemical industry and I’m a greeny at heart which confused people. But by running the business I was able to make it better from the inside. That’s why engineering appeals to me – you can make things better.

I joined Brompton because it was cool and I liked this mad guy who started it all and wanted to make his factory a bit more efficient, but I’ve stayed this long because of this little bike that makes people happy and makes the world a better place.

What is the best and the worst part of being a CEO?

It comes with great highs and great lows – when things go well, you’re so proud of everybody and what they’ve achieved and your part in leading that, and when things go wrong, you’re taking a lot of it on the chin. I permanently question whether I’m good enough to do the job.

The worst thing is there’s no off switch. I am on WeChat, WhatsApp, Teams, email, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. People contact me 24 hours a day on those channels and I love the fact that if a customer is really f*cked off they can get a hold of me. They rarely do but it’s nice to know they can. That can be a burden on the home front as even on holiday there’ll be something going on that’s Brompton-related. Six years ago, we did a product recall for 110,000 bikes and I took that decision on a pedalo in Ibiza. We have a million customers, and if that bike’s not right someone could die. The risk was miniscule and the cost to the business was immense, but I had to take the decision to protect our customers.

How do you decide what to focus on?

When the company was little there were 36 of us and now we’re knocking on the door of 850. Growing is basically whack-a-mole: you’re permanently chasing the bottleneck in the business, which shifts as you go through different phases. The real skill is to spot the stress areas and migrate towards those and try to support the business. When the business was small, I ran machinery for months because we couldn’t get bikes out unless I was running bits of kit. I was very hands-on.

As the business gets bigger you start specialising and recruiting and then when it gets bigger still you get to a point where you have no operational control at all. So today I have no budget and I hardly have anybody working for me – I really have no job at all. Which is quite difficult because it’s not clear what you’re meant to do. There is no remit or plan. So, your job becomes one of leadership.

But the fact I’ve been involved in the operation means I can demonstrate I understand detail, that I care and am interested.

What keeps you up at night?

The thing that really matters to me is keeping safe our customers. When you’re selling a bike that might last 20 years making sure it’s absolutely spot on is critical. We’re making a bike that’s light enough to carry so we’re right on the limits of what’s possible and there’s no room for error in the manufacturing process. Making sure that is never, ever compromised is what means I can sleep at night.

How do you define success, and has that changed over time?

Happiness. Simple, it never changes. We’ve got a really warped definition of success in the western world, it’s so messed up. Somewhere between fame and wealth, neither of which is success. Happiness is mates, family, honesty, modesty, being true to yourself, not pretending you’re something you aren’t.

Do you feel like you are making a difference? How?

The longer I’m at Brompton the more I feel we’re only getting started. Most people have become urban and that’s where most of the carbon is being produced and where the greatest health issues are. You go to a city and both your mental and physical health are worse, but it doesn’t need to be like that. We can do our bit to help improve it.

There are 200,000 of our bikes in London – we’ve had such an impact and have changed the culture and the dynamic and I’m very proud of that, but it’s just one city. We’ve made a bit of progress in Barcelona, Brussels and Manhattan but we’ve hardly started.

We’ve just made our millionth bike and many of those million bikes are still being used. A second-hand Brompton will cost £500-600 – the resale value holds even when it’s 15 years old. That’s the kind of economy and consumerism we need to encourage people to invest in. We need to be buying less stuff that’s better quality, that’s looked after, and maintainable.

It’s not a question of want but of must. There are real, fundamental, existential threats to us having a lovely time on Planet Earth – we’ve got to get a move on. There is no choice.

What do you think are the biggest challenges your industry will face in the next 5 years?

Our industry has a major problem in Europe which is it’s selling to cyclists – middle aged white men in their 50s who like techy bikes and have a brilliant time at the weekends riding up hills. That’s 4.5% of the population, yet 95% of people in the UK know how to ride a bike. We should be talking to the other 90%.

We need to be telling a more inclusive, universal message, not about the bike but about what cycling can do for you and your lifestyle, your health, the world around you. You can wear normal clothes and you don’t need to go fast, but you can chuck the kids on and just head off. It’s useful and also entirely delightful just pottering about. You can easily clock up 30-40 miles a week and that will transform your health.

What is the most important lesson this journey has taught or reconfirmed for you?

We’re only here once. It’s over in a minute. If you’re doing something that’s not making you feel valued then you’ve got to get the hell out because it has such a bad impact on so many elements of your life. Maybe you have to give up your swanky car and get an old Ford Escort, or lose other luxuries, but having happiness in your job and feeling fulfilled in yourself is everything. Too many people have got caught up in this requirement to own stuff and do stuff but at the detriment to their own wellbeing.

If there was one thing you would do differently, what would it be?

I wouldn’t. I’ve had a litany of f*ck ups, I’m awash with mistakes. I once led an expedition up the Amazon and nearly killed everyone. But I take life as it comes and most of my negative experiences have taught me something. Having a positive attitude gets you a long way. I’ve had a blast – if I crock it tomorrow, have a celebration; it’s been fun!

60 SECONDS with WILL

Favourite way to relax?

Gardening.

Where is your happy place?

Surrounded by friends and family – just the general hubbub.

What would you like to own that you don’t currently have?

Nothing – I don’t need any more.

Who do you admire most and why?

David Attenborough was a very entrepreneurial person, I respect him a lot for what he did inside the BBC and the risks he took. And Warren Buffett, because he was a great believer in compound growth. None of this unicorn billionaire stuff. Just 20% a year growth, care about the customer and the rest will come.

What tool couldn’t you work without?

It’s corny to say the obvious so I’ll say my notebooks. I have years of them – every day my entire brain goes in there.

Favourite tipple?

Red wine.

Dog or cat person?

Dog.

Favourite city to spend a weekend?

I’m very fond of Barcelona.

Which is your favourite brand and why?

Vitsoe, the furniture brand run by Mark Adams. It’s one of the clearest, purest brands I know, with 100% integrity. I have so much respect for what Mark does in that business.

Favourite song or piece of music?

Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack to The Mission. It is heart-warming and tragic all at the same time.

Motto in life?

Hodie, which is Latin for today. It’s the opposite of mañana. Don’t sit on it, say yes and get on with it.

Top recommendation?

Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee. Everyone on Earth should read this book, especially if you’re in the UK. The first paragraph is late summer in the UK in a bottle. The entire book is a work of art.