Each week we shine the spotlight on a leading light in Dorset and ask him, or her, for answers to our part fun/part serious questionnaire. This time…

His grandads, Emile and Derek, were his childhood heroes, he gets angry at rudeness, chooses Sandbanks as his favourite place in Dorset and loves roast dinners.

Dan Ware, CEO of Big Golden Pineapple, a holding company for professional services businesses, takes the ‘hot seat’ for our popular 20 Questions.

Question: What is your favourite TV show?

Answer: I’m not a lover of TV to be honest. I don’t think I’ve ever even committed to a box set. I just think there are so many better things to be doing. However, when I do watch TV it’s either trash like Pawn Stars or Swamp People, or something I can learn from like Master Chef or Great British Menu.

Q: Who would you like to share a car with?

A: Lewis Hamilton. Not just an incredibly interesting human being but he could teach me to be a better driver. I could really do with the help!

Q: The best bit of my job is…?

A: Working with an amazing group of people that constantly challenge me and who I can learn from.

I surround myself with great people that complement my skillset, who match my work ethic, who are not ‘yes people’, who consistently challenge what I think I know and who I can learn from.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Q: And the worst?

A: I genuinely love my role. Having numerous businesses, my day-to-day schedule is diverse and varied, which suits my ADHD brain. However, if I had to pick something, it would be having to rely on third parties that don’t work at the breakneck speed that Big Golden Pineapple does.

Q: Who was your childhood hero?

A: I have two, my grandads, Emile and Derek.

My grandad Emile was an incredible human being. He had an extremely tough start to life, having to escape persecution in Yugoslavia during WW2. He came to the UK with no money and couldn’t even speak the language. He initially lived in Sheffield, working in a steel mill. From there he built several successful businesses and was a pretty incredible entrepreneur. Not only that but he was extremely kind and nurturing. He was an incredibly devoted family man but also a passionate entrepreneur.

My grandad Derek was an absolute winner in everything he did. He never played for second best. Even when we played Uno when I was five years old, he wanted to win. When he was 70 and I was 15, he’d still run me ragged around a tennis court. He instilled a burning desire to win in me and to always take competition very seriously.

Q: What’s your favourite smell?

A: Dawn in Southern Spain; that mixture of the salty air and the almost sickly sweetness of the dew evaporating off the bougainvillea flowers. Just amazing.

Q: Where’s your favourite place in Dorset?

A: Sandbanks. I love the beach and there aren’t many beaches in the world that top Sandbanks. Any time, any season, the beach is where I want to be.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone starting out on a career?

A: There is no story without struggle. Things are not easy or fun all the time when you’re a junior account exec at the start of your career, or when you’re the CEO of a company that makes millions in net profit. Life and business are a series of peaks and valleys. As you navigate life you just need to ensure those valleys become shallower and less frequent, and those peaks more frequent, higher and wider. But appreciate the moments that are more challenging, because they show everything else for what it really is.

Q: What was your first record/CD?

A: ‘(What’s the story) Morning Glory’, studio album by Oasis. An absolute juggernaut of an album that I still listen to weekly.

Q: What gets you angry?

A: Rudeness. I can’t stand it. Politeness costs absolutely nothing. So why would you not take the opportunity to be considerate and polite to people? Worst case, it’s nice to be nice, best case, you might brighten up someone’s day who may need it.

Q: Do you have a favourite piece of music?

A: Oh wow, music is my third love after my family and Tottenham. I always have headphones on, listening to my own personal soundtrack. I’m bereft of any music talent but I’m pretty good at putting playlists together, so I decided to teach myself how to DJ in lockdown and DJ Bud Light was born. If I had to pick one, it would probably be ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’ by Deftones. It was my gateway into heavy music, festivals and some amazing experiences.

Q: What are the qualities you look for in a new employee?

A: The main thing is that they fit our culture. That to me is more important than history, ability and qualifications. They have to be dedicated, hardworking, willing to learn, communicative and collaborative. Sometimes the best candidate is not the right candidate.

Q: What’s your favourite food or dish?

A: I love roast dinners. Not just for the food, but the whole ceremony of getting family and friends together, sharing food, drinking good wine and having a laugh. Food for me is always a social experience in addition to the actual sustenance.

Q: Steamed sponge pudding and custard or a plate of melon?

A: Melon, without a doubt. I’m not a dessert guy really. I’d always sooner have a cheese platter to something sweet.

Q: Name the best thing about living/working in Dorset?

A: In a living sense, it’s the variety of things that are available to visit; beach, heath, woodland, hills etc, etc.

From a business point of view, and especially working in finance, it’s the amount of great people that are available to do business with. Having a business like the Richmond Group, and all of its offshoots and start-ups, and huge corporates like JP Morgan, Barclays and Nationwide, there is so much opportunity to be innovative and do great things with amazing people.

The hospitality scene in Dorset is pretty special too, and there are some great people doing some amazing things.

Q: If you were Prime Minister for the day what would be the first thing you do?

A: Re-join the EU, nationalise energy, reduce VAT for hospitality and increase the stamp duty threshold.

Q: What’s your biggest frustration?

A: Ignorance. Social media has given anyone in the world access to ‘a voice’. Information, opinion and debate is more readily available than at any point in human history. Obviously, a lot of those voices need to be taken with a pinch of salt. But you can educate yourself on pretty much anything. So, there is no excuse for being ill-informed or unenlightened on serious and important issues.

Q:  Where’s your favourite holiday location?

A: Greece; the beaches, the food and the people. Just wow.

Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

A: Still grafting, but taking much more of a back seat. I want my colleagues to take my positions in our businesses so they can meet their personal and professional objectives. I’ll always be there to support, but if I’ve done my job correctly, they will all be better versions of me.

I don’t need or want the profile and status of being a figurehead as much as I used to. It’s all part of my own personal growth journey to be the best leader I can be.

Q: What would you like to be remembered for?

A: For being the best father, husband, friend and leader that I can be. And for cooking the world’s best roasties!

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