CW@60: People matter - lessons from Pascal to the UK’s first broadband service

<div class="imagecaption alignLeft"> <img src="https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/computerweekly/CW-60-anniversary-logo-white-400px.jpg" alt="Computer Weekly 60th anniversary logo" width="226" height="117"> </div> <p><i>On 22 September 2026, Computer Weekly turns 60. To mark the milestone, we asked some of our friends - experts, parliamentarians, IT leaders and suppliers - for their perspectives on how tech has changed their lives over six decades. What's changed the most for you since then?</i></p> <p>In my career I have commissioned state-of-the-art space and <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366641504/UK-Navy-deters-Russian-submarines-near-critical-undersea-cables">submarine optical-fibre</a> systems, created new international standards to allow global connectivity for billions, and built Europe<span dir="RTL">’</span>s largest internet network. But the one consistent global success factor is the people involved.</p> <p>These are ABC people - authentic, bold, curious - who live by a growth and coaching mindset. They catalyse and deliver technology for good by encouraging, coaching and inspiring people to be the best they can be.</p> <p>My religious education (RE) teacher was an early inspiration. In 1976, we worked together on a new computer science syllabus so a few of us at our state high school could take a nationally recognised qualification. This included driving a 60-mile round trip so we could compile and run Pascal programming coursework at a local technical college.</p> <p>At 16, A-levels were not an option for me as I needed a job to start paying back. Thanks to my RE teacher, the computer science qualification helped me secure a sought-after apprenticeship with the Post Office Research Centre at Martlesham Heath - now <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252526221/BT-reveals-role-of-robotics-IoT-to-transform-and-automate-agriculture">BT Labs</a>.</p> <p>Support, mentoring, hard work and night school meant I was accepted at the University of York to read electronic engineering, spending a summer vacation placement in the satellite and lines directorate of BT International.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="State of the art"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>State of the art</h2> <p>Straight out of university, I got to work on state-of-the-art space systems for governments, businesses, communities and TV companies plus the first cross-channel (UK-Belgium 5) and then the first transatlantic submarine optical-fibre cable (TAT-8), transforming how billions globally were able to work, live and love. </p> <blockquote> <div class="imagecaption alignLeft"> <img src="https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/computerweekly/Paul-Excell-LinkedIn.jpg" alt="Photo of Paul Excell" width="180" height="180"> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><span style="color: #34495e;">“The future belongs not just to brilliant technologists but to people who can lead by combining technology with creativity, healthcare, education, sustainability, finance and the arts”</span></strong></span></p> <p><span style="color: #34495e;"><em> Paul Excell </em></span></p> </blockquote> <p>Being curious on the possibilities of the internet, in 1990 I was promoted to a team delivering the UK<span dir="RTL">’</span>s first broadband service (25Mbit/s) and went to the BT board, to successfully argue BT should be at the forefront of delivering new innovative IP, data and voice services and do it cost effectively via a completely new innovative national switching infrastructure- the multi-service platform.</p> <p>Within 18 months, 10 million customers were using IP services, and we took a similar approach globally. While I was vice president for BT Global Platforms and Services, we delivered new innovative services in 175 countries to enable sustainable growth for our FTSE/S&P customers.</p> <p>After BT, to give back, I became an accredited executive coach, helping leaders navigate periods of rapid technological and organisational change and returned to my entrepreneurial roots as a partner at the ScaleUp Group. I also became active in the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists - the philanthropic heart of the tech industry.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Democratising technology"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Democratising technology</h2> <p>What has changed most in my career? The obvious answer is computing power. When I began, storage processing power and connectivity was limited. Now it is ubiquitous. Yet I believe the more profound change has been democratisation.</p> <p>Technology is no longer confined to engineers. A young entrepreneur with a laptop can build products serving millions of customers. Students can access the world's knowledge instantly. Small charities can deploy AI capabilities once available only to multinational corporations.</p> <p>Creativity, not capital, increasingly determines what becomes possible. That may prove to be the defining feature of the AI age.</p> <p>Within the next decade, <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366649703/AI-agents-will-try-every-door-and-find-the-ones-left-unlocked">AI agents</a> will become trusted collaborators, accelerating scientific discovery, personalising education, transforming healthcare, improving public services and enabling entirely new industries.</p> <p>But technological progress alone does not guarantee societal progress. AI is a force multiplier. The choices we make around ethics, governance, inclusion and education will determine whether AI widens inequality or expands opportunity.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="A growth mindset"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>A growth mindset</h2> <p>If I were offering one piece of advice to young people entering technology today, it would be this - don't simply learn today's tools. Adopt a growth mindset - authentically, boldly and with curiosity.</p> <p>Equally, don't underestimate the importance of working across disciplines. The future belongs not just to brilliant technologists but to people who can lead by combining technology with creativity, healthcare, education, sustainability, finance and the arts. Big opportunities will emerge at those intersections.</p> <p>As Computer Weekly celebrates 60 years of chronicling Britain's digital revolution, it is worth remembering that technology has never been an end in itself.</p> <p>Our greatest achievements have always been profoundly human - connecting people, sharing knowledge, creating opportunity, improving lives.</p> <p>From Pascal, fibre-optics to AI - that purpose has never changed. The next 60 years will undoubtedly bring technologies we can scarcely imagine today.</p> <p>What matters is ensuring they help every generation build a more connected, more prosperous and more compassionate world. How can I help you?</p> <p><i>Paul Excell is an AI, space, and quantum </i><i>technology leader</i><i>, entrepreneur, award-winning executive coach and was a key player in the UK<span dir="RTL">’</span>s first broadband service.</i></p> <div class="extra-info"> <div class="extra-info-inner"> <h3 class="splash-heading">Read all of Computer Weekly's 60th anniversary essays</h3> <p>Technology is changing the way we live and work like never before – touching people’s lives every day, opening up new opportunities and creating new challenges.</p> <p>So for our 60^th anniversary, we wanted to reflect on the human stories of how the digital revolution has changed the lives of some of the key leaders and influencers in tech today. Read our full collection of essays, which offers a unique set of insights and perspectives into the changes we have seen during Computer Weekly's first 60 years.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/essentialguide/CW60-How-technology-has-changed-our-lives-over-60-years">CW@60 - How technology has changed our lives over 60 years</a></h2> </div> </div> </section>