CEO of NE1 Ltd, Stephen Patterson, shares his insights with Portfolio North.
Q. My morning routine is…
Up at 6.30am to do school routine and admin, have a cup of tea and enjoy the calm before the storm of my two girls, Bella and Pippa, getting up at 7am. I make them breakfast and then spend the next hour or so constantly reminding them of things they haven’t done and that they’ll be late, before walking my youngest, Pippa, to school. Bella is far too cool to walk to school with dad!
Q. What puts me in a good mood
It’s a cliché, but time spent with family and friends most definitely puts me in a good mood. It recharges me and fills me with optimism. From a work perspective, being surrounded by ambitious, enthusiastic, and creative people most definitely energises me. It’s infectious.
Q: What makes me angry
I rarely get angry, but I do get frustrated with fixed ideological positions and a lack of focus on outcomes. I often think of how much would get done, how well money would be spent, and how quickly society as a whole would progress if we were collectively focussed on solving problems, rather than pursuing ideological positions.
Q: Values I try to live and work by
Work hard, care about what you do, have fun, and do it with integrity.
Q: Bad habits I try to break
Food and exercise, the two go hand in hand. I exercise every week and I’m active, but between work and family, I find it hard to get into any kind of routine. Now firmly ensconced in my forties, I am critically aware exercise should be a daily priority, and not simply something to fit in around everything else. Likewise, I LOVE food and most definitely have portion-control issues when something is tasty. Newcastle’s restaurant offer is amazing, and we have more independent restaurants per capita than any other city outside London, and that does not help
Q: What motivates me most
On a personal level, it is most definitely to be a better dad. When you’re a child, you don’t realise you’re actually watching your parents growing up before your eyes. As a father, I am acutely aware of the need to be better than I was yesterday, and to be a fixed point of calm in a sea of chaos.
Professionally, it is providing opportunities to do good work. NE1 is a creative, quick-paced environment full of enthusiastic and hardworking people who are passionate about making the city better. Seeing people rise to the challenge and excel at what they do best is hugely rewarding.
Q: My sources of joy are
My two girls. They are an absolute leveller and constantly surprise me.
Q: I relax and destress by…
Spending time with positive people. Negative people are like hoovers, they suck joy and positivity out of the spaces they are in. Positive people are the opposite, they super-charge the environment they are in.
I love surfing and snowboarding and to detach myself from the daily routine and escape to the awe of nature is a pretty amazing way to unplug and recharge.
Q: What most people don’t know about me?
I competed in the British National Surfing Championships. I surfed terribly and got knocked out in the first round, but it was an amazing experience and firmly quashed any thoughts I had of being a professional surfer!
Q: If I didn’t do my current job, I’d like to be…
Producing or directing films. I find the creative process hugely rewarding and I think in a very visual way. The thought of travelling and telling different stories from different perspectives is an intoxicating one. I also love being part of a team, united in pursuit of a goal.
