CW+ Premium Content/Computer Weekly

When Brian Roche was appointed director of IT at George Best Belfast City Airport (BCA) in November 2019, it was a first for him personally and the business. An experienced IT professional who had previously worked in consulting and in senior roles for technology firms, Roche took his first IT leadership position in an end-user business. His appointment was also the first time that BCA had a technology chief reporting to the board rather than just an IT manager. Roche recognises it was a big step for him and the airport. “Nowadays, it’s vital that you have somebody who has the technology skills who is sitting on the executive team, reporting to the board and getting the buy-in to make the required improvements for the business,” he says. More than two years later and Roche is relishing the opportunity. “It dishes up interesting challenges,” he says. “There are lots of things that we’re looking to constantly improve, from fighting cyber threats to boosting internal processes, making platforms more robust and delivering excellent ...