Andy Booth, partner and joint head of the Stockport office at Cheshire firm SAS Daniels, shares his passions and interests with The Brief.

How do you like to start the day?

Coffee and Twitter – the modern equivalent of a decent newspaper, for me.

What’s your favourite object in your office/home office?

My reading glasses, without which all of this technology would be useless to me.

Who is your closest colleague?

I work closely with a number of colleagues and it would not be fair to single one out.

Do you have a favourite family heirloom?

I have the company seal for my dad’s first business, a general outfitters in Irlam which he inherited when my grandfather died. The seal is quite heavy, made of metal, and it sits like a strange piece of industrial art near my desk at home.

What’s your favourite song of all time?

“Comforting Sounds” by Mew – a Danish band I saw unexpectedly at a festival. They finished their set with this and it was one of the most uplifting and emotional things I have experienced. Unusual experience considering I did not know the band or the song before that moment. And I never get tired of listening to it.

What’s your favourite play?

Usually the last one I saw, which was Breaking the Code, a play about Alan Turing – a friend of mine directed it recently in a tiny theatre in Stockport.

Who’s your favourite movie star?

I prefer directors to actors, so David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg.

What’s your favourite book?

Impossible to pick one on its own – but I own everything by Clive James, Christopher Hitchens and Martin Amis and wish I had been invited to one of their famous lunches in Soho in the late 70s, to listen to their conversation. If I had to choose one by them each it would be Experience by Martin Amis, God is not Great by Hitchens and Unreliable Memoirs by Clive James. I also own books containing every “Doonesbury” cartoon by Garry Trudeau, one of the greatest, and funniest, artists of the last century.

What book are you reading right now?

A Decade in Tory by Russ Jones – hilarious, depressing and unfortunately very true. I am waiting for delivery of The Art of Darkness by John Robb, which I am really looking forward to.

What book do you wish you had written?

Everything you Need to Know about the Music Business by Donald Passman. I have to buy it every time there is a new edition. Ten so far…

What’s the greatest invention of all time?

Fire (i.e. the knowledge of how to start one) – pretty much nothing humans have achieved would be possible without knowing how to make a fire.

Is there a sport you wish you could play?

I have tried everything I liked the look of, so no, not really. I can (or could) play the sports I enjoyed.

Who inspires you in business?

Anyone who acts from a good intention rather than greed, which is not good.

In the office do you dress up, dress down or somewhere in between?

Smart casual. I don’t miss suits and ties at all, after having to wear them for so long. I do not believe my work has suffered from not wearing them.

Where do you go to relax?

Bed!

What country have you always wanted to visit?

Nepal

Besides your phone, what do you always have with you?

Keys, wallet, vaping apparatus.

What’s the best part of your job?

Getting it right for a client – it’s all very well producing perfect documents and giving technically correct advice – but helping a client achieve their desired outcome is what it’s all about.

How do you unwind after work?

Cooking, reading, watching TV – occasionally with wine accompaniment.

Finally, what’s your guilty pleasure?

Flight Radar 24 – a horrifically addictive app, especially when you have a view from your house of a major airport and can also watch the flights coming in and going out.

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