LDC Top 50 2023
Lee Hackett
Group CEO
Bluprintx
After playing professional football for Wigan Athletic FC, Lee Hackett joined builders’ merchant Travis Perkins and became its youngest ever manager. “Coming from the football world, I was used to discipline. I progressed quickly in business because I was coachable,” says Hackett.
In 2016, he collaborated with the University of Liverpool to launch technology consultancy Bluprintx. Four acquisitions later, he now employs 110 people worldwide with clients including Uber and Bank of New York. He also runs an academy to recruit and train talented graduates from local universities. “My personal goal is to grow Bluprintx to 1,000 people,” he says.
I enjoy the challenge of bringing different companies together to create one high-performing team.”
Q&A
What are your growth plans for the business?
We’re based in Liverpool and run an academy to recruit and train talented graduates from local universities. We’ve had about 25 graduates through the scheme so far and would love to ramp that up and also replicate the programme in the US. We’ll grow through acquisitions and aim to quadruple turnover to £80 million in the next four years. Acquisitions are complex but that’s why I get a kick out of them. I enjoy the challenge of bringing different companies together to create one high-performing team.
Who (or what) has inspired you the most in your career?
I grew up in a deprived area of Liverpool and, from the age of six, I’d be out every evening kicking a ball around with teenagers. That toughens you up. Shortly after leaving professional football, I joined Travis Perkins’ fast-track senior management programme and was lucky enough to have John Carter, the former CEO, as one of my mentors. He was a brilliant leader and always asked killer questions.
What’s your own personal ambition?
I know a lot of high-calibre business people who burnt out, so I look after myself and am very disciplined with my routine. I’m up at 4.30am for an ice bath every morning and I make sure I get enough exercise, nutrition, time with my family and rest. I want to build a successful business but I also want to be a good dad and husband.
