“Working in an echo chamber is the death of inspiration”: an interview with Hannah Rowe

Hannah Rowe is a Director in CACI, a global data technology company based in the UK, and lives in Cornwall.

Together with her husband, she ran the Plymouth-based IT company Rowe for 17 years before a successful exit in 2024.

We sat down to talk to Hannah about being a tech leader in the South West, what makes the region unique, and how to get more women into leadership roles.

Let’s start with an easy one. Who is Hannah Rowe?

Oh I know this one.

I started my career as a Royal Navy officer before moving into tech. From the outset I’ve maintained a passion for using my work to uplift others and create positive lasting impact. 

While growing a successful South West technology company, I was able to focus on giving back through charity and educational initiatives. Having now sold the venture, I am dividing my time between ensuring a successful integration into CACI and working as a NED with a local not-for-profit organisation.

What’s been your most valuable learning as a tech leader?

Growing a business is a lifestyle choice, not a job. It becomes part of who you are.  

The ‘Why’ in the ‘Why did we start the business’ is key. It needs to be kept in focus and revisited regularly. It will help form the ‘Vision’ for the company and drive the values and culture. 

If you lose sight of it, then you lose your purpose and the joy of running a business.

Put it on your screensaver and ask yourself often – is this still why I am running the business?

What makes the South West a great place to run a business – and what are the challenges?

The South West has a strong identity and is a beautiful location but suffers from being considered primarily as a holiday destination. 

There are high levels of deprivation, with the digital divide making local recruiting a challenge. Social mobility funding should be without politics and long term.  

Organisations working to raise aspirations and provide training are too reliant on short term funding. The social value outcomes they achieve far outstrip their costs and this needs to be the focus if the UK is going to remain in the tech race. 

We need to be inspiring and train engineers of the future if we are not going to fall behind.

Which of your early business assumptions proved completely wrong?

We were naïve about the impact of company growth in terms of people.

We realised early on that we needed to put a business structure and processes in place that were scalable. 

They worked until we reached about 20 people and then every hire felt like we were experiencing exponential growth. We had been told this would happen but didn’t fully believe it.

We were lucky that we were able to divide and conquer to remain one step ahead.  

What’s your approach to building strategic partnerships?

For us, this was a multi-layered approach. 

It is important to understand your market and those operating in it. They can be seen as both competitors and possible partners. 

Although retaining knowledge and USP must always be considered, being able to form partnerships with competitors, to bid on larger pieces of work, can make sense if your values and best practices align. 

Networking is important if done correctly. I am not talking about golf and cream teas, which is what it sometimes seems like, but gaining a proper understanding of what other companies have to offer and how you can strengthen your impact by working together.

What needs to change to get more women into leadership roles in STEMM?

That’s a complex question to answer.

First, confidence. Girls and women tend to be overly self-critical and reliant on external validation. This is never more apparent than during teenage years when careers are starting to be considered. Girls can shrink away from standing out and showing an interest in something which is still labelled ‘geeky’. Being able to provide female-only skills workshops has been a successful way ahead, as seen by the work done by TecGirls and TecWomen in Cornwall. 

Societal expectations also need to change. Flexible working practices focused mainly on women are a double-edged sword. Women still do most of the domestic and caring chores, and society needs to focus on creating parental or caring equality so that both parents are central, not just one. Having worked with some amazing male software engineers, I think most would also agree and embrace the change.  

Sadly, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals show that we are centuries away from true equality.

Which leadership skill has been hardest to develop?

As a business owner, you do everything by default. You are finance, governance, operations, marketing, security and delivery. 

Letting go and empowering others is the hardest skill any leader will learn but a good leader does it. 

It is important to recognise that everyone will do things differently. You can set standards and expectations, but it won’t be done the way you did it. You must learn to loosen control so the talent you hire can fly. 

Micromanaging will stifle growth and open communication. This skill applies across all layers of management and is the hardest to challenge and teach!

What one piece of advice would you give to aspiring tech leaders?

Work out your unique selling point early on. Most tech companies can do everything and, whilst chasing work, it is tempting to do so. Being clear about your offering allows focused selling and messaging. 

Knowing why and what you are is liberating.  

I know this counts as two pieces of advice, but this is also important: you need a variety of skills and voices in your Senior Management team to be challenged and grow. Don’t be an echo chamber. 

It sounds obvious but it is all too easy to hire and develop people who you relate to.  

Avoid it if you can.

How do you measure success beyond the financials?

This will be individual to the business and depend on the ‘why’ it started. It can even be personal milestones. We had a few: hitting our first million, being able to sponsor and support our local community, seeing graduates flourish and become seasoned developers. These were some of the personal ones. 

Within the business, we set a three year plan and set goals to achieve it. We then identified key areas which we wanted to measure and monitor. KPIs were set within them and progress reported monthly. We were able to identify success and failure early on, which allowed us to pivot as needed.  

How do you foster innovation whilst maintaining profitability?

For a small company, this can be both an overhead and an opportunity. 

One of our key hiring requirements is a growth mindset. Candidates must demonstrate an innovative nature and a love of tech. 

That, alongside the ability to be agile in our offerings, encourages innovation in an organic way. It also does need to be encouraged – setting aside training days which align with both personal development and future proofing skills is important. 

Yes, there is a cost but it should be a strategic one.

What’s your strategy for attracting and retaining top talent?

Focus on Culture. 

There has been a lot of negativity about DE&I [diversity, equity, and inclusion] recently but we do not all start from the same place.

It is essential to recruit talent but seeing potential is also key.

A culture that is open to ideas and diversity creates software that is innovative and accessible. Working in an echo chamber is the death of inspiration. 

We all want to work where we are valued, appreciated and heard. Our culture has ensured outstanding retention rates and it is something we have been most proud of.