The V3 Hot Seat: Bletchley Park chief executive Iain Standen

Iain Standen spent years as an officer in the British Army before becoming the chief executive of Bletchley Park, the historic site of secret British codebreaking activities during WWII. Bletchley Park was where the German's Enigma Code was cracked, giving the allies a decisive advantage in the Second World War.

Standen took on his role as chief executive at the beginning of this year and now takes to V3's Hot Seat to give readers an insight into his career and views on IT.

Standen follows on from Hot Seats by information commissioner Christopher Graham and Nokia's West Europe president Conor Pierce as part of a new weekly insight into what makes those in the IT industry tick.

V3: How did you end up in the role of Bletchley Park Trust chief executive?

Iain Standen: I took on the role of chief executive of the Bletchley Park after 28 years as a commissioned officer in the British Army. During that time I undertook a range of command and staff appointments in the communications, intelligence and strategic policy and plans areas. This included serving in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Cyprus, as well as on operational deployments to Northern Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Iraq.

I decided to leave the Army last year and almost as I did, I came across the advertisement in the Sunday Times for the post of chief executive at Bletchley Park.

As someone with a career of leadership and management experience, having worked in signals and intelligence, and with my interest in history, it only required a few moments thought before I was submitting my CV. Then two months and three sets of interviews later, I was being offered, what I call, the perfect job.

What would be your dream job (apart from your current role, of course)

See my last answer - I am in my perfect job. But if really pushed I might be persuaded to admit that heading up a major national museum, such as the Imperial War Museum, might just top my current role.

Which mobile phone and tablet do you currently use?

IPhone 4S and iPad.

Which person do you most admire in the IT industry?

It is rather who I did admire, because the late great Steve Jobs had what I feel was the perfect balance of an eye for innovation and the ability to deliver it to market.

Which technology has had the biggest impact on your working life?

Email. I started my working life in the days before email, when if you wanted business paperwork to be done you had to provide a typist with a handwritten draft which was then posted in the mail and days later the recipient received it. Today the instantaneous power of email has speeded up business in a way in which only 20 years ago most of us could not begin to imagine.

What's been the highlight of your career so far?

Other than landing my current role, it was probably when I served on the staff of General David Petraeus in Baghdad in 2008. There I was responsible for leading a cross-functional, interagency team to completely redesign the strategic-level campaign plan, used to synchronise all coalition efforts in Iraq.

What was your first job?

My first, and essentially only, job before this role (other than the holiday jobs as a waiter and shop assistant) was the Army.

What's the best thing about working at Bletchley Park?

The fantastically dedicated, enthusiastic and motivated people I have working for me, and without whom Bletchley Park would not function.