Meet the CEO who wants Rihanna to join his board
The chief executive of Ordnance Survey has revealed why he thinks pop icon Rihanna would make the perfect addition to his boardroom.
Nick Bolton, who runs the history national mapping agency, told City PM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast that the singer-turned-entrepreneur embodies the kind of imagination and edge every company needs.
The CEO said: “Rihanna would be brilliant. Not just as a performer, but as an entrepreneur.
“She’s built Fenty into a billion-dollar business. She understands brand, she understands customers – and she’d bring a fresh perspective to what we do.”
Bolton also tipped polar explorer Ernest Shackleton as another dream recruit, praising his “resilience and leadership” in keeping his crew alive through some of the harshest conditions ever faced.
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How Ordnance Survey is staying relevant
Also during the episode, the chief executive of Ordnance Survey outlined how the historic mapping agency is taking the fight to US giants Google and Apple to remain relevant in the 21st century.
Bolton insisted Ordnance Survey remains crucial to Britain’s digital future, even as it goes up against the tech giants.
“Google Maps is an amazing achievement,” he said. “But for Great Britain, the day-to-day is in front of our data. And that’s true of all sorts of apps that you use on your phone.”
Bolton said that from transport apps to weather and even social media, mapping has become “absolute universal,” noting that Google Maps alone now counts 2.2bn monthly users.
While the likes of Google and Apple dominate navigation, Bolton said Ordnance Survey’s competitive edge lies in the accuracy and specificity of its information.
“We now consume and produce millions of maps every single day… and we can be much more specific about those maps than we ever could before,” he said.
With 500m features updated 20,000 times a day, the CEO said he believes Ordnance Survey has unrivalled knowledge of Britain’s physical environment. The challenge, he said, is making sure that data is put to use.
“We know Britain better than anybody else. But right now that sits on a server and that does not butter any parsnips. We’ve got to put it in the hands of the people who’ve got those geospatial questions,” he said.
Bolton added: “We exist so that we can deliver better outcomes for British citizens. You’d be lost without us.”