IT Week's IT leader profile

Dominic Hook is director of information and communications technology at trade union Unite, managing a team of 20 staff

What does your job entail?
Overseeing all the IT and telecoms needs for the union – basically making sure we’ve got everything we need and that everything works, all the time.

What was your first job?
After leaving university I got a job as a pensions administrator at Norwich Union. During my seven years at NU I had various roles and in my final year I found myself programming in Cobol and then SAS.

If you weren’t in IT, what would you be doing?
Well, my degree was in genetics and I always thought that something in evolutionary psychology or population genetics would be interesting.

What is the first web site you check in the mornings?
BBC News, followed by BBC Weather and then OWA [Outlook Web Access].

Do you use a BlackBerry, or do you favour a different mobile device?
I have a BlackBerry Curve. We tried out loads of different PDAs and Windows Mobile devices, but you simply can’t beat the BlackBerry for ease of use.

How often do you check your BlackBerry?
It checks me. I seem to be able to hear or feel that tell-tale vibration for a new email wherever I am.

Which person do you most admire in the IT industry?
Steve Jobs.

Who is or has been the most influential IT vendor?
Apple. They might not have had the biggest sales, but their design has always been ahead of the rest.

Which technology has had the biggest impact on your working life?
The BlackBerry. The first time after I got one and spent a day or two out of the office and didn’t come back to hundreds of unread emails was a revelation.

Which technologies do you most rely on outside the office or at home?
Outside the office it’s the BlackBerry. At home it’s my iMac – great for the web, photos and editing videos.

What keeps you awake?
My two children and my cat – they have a carefully worked out rota.