Member Spotlight: Lee Ali, Founder & Director – e5 Interactive

Each week we get to know one of our members a little better. this week it’s Lee Ali, Founder & Director – e5 Interactive…

1. Favourite quote or saying?

“Make sure you have been inside the box before you think outside of the box”…This is a phrase that I coined a long time ago. The solution sometimes is already “inside the box”, and you don’t always need to spend unnecessary time thinking outside the box.

2. Career highlight?

Been so many but three really stand out for me –

1. Working on live television and helping to launch a gameshow in the US – once you have worked in live tv, you can handle pretty much anything that life throws at you – it taught me a lot about thinking on my feet.
2. Taking a simple idea of proactive face-to-face engagement at trade show exhibitions, and building that into an award winning global business and sustaining steady growth over the past 14 years (before Covid hit us anyway) and
3. creating E5 Interactive during lockdown with another co-founder which is a whole different way of managing a business and set up during a very challenging economic environment.

3. Why do you love pro-manchester?

It’s local, provides access to a great network of professional service-based businesses and lots of great knowledge-based events by members for members.

4. What are you reading at the moment?

Time to Think – Nancy Kline – I have been reading a lot through the lock down period, and this one book has really stood out for me. Nancy promotes the idea of creating “Thinking Environments” a model of human interaction that dramatically improves the way people think, and thus the way they work and live. Listening – the quality of people’s attention for each other – is at the core of this method. Fascinating read if you want to have more productive meetings, solve business problems, create motivated teams or build stronger relationships.

5. What are you watching at the moment?

Masterchef – The Professionals. I am a passionate foodie, and it’s always great to get some inspiration from experienced chefs

6. Favourite meeting place in Manchester?

Before lockdown, it was Porter and Cole on High St, Northern Quarter,  a really cosy and quiet café, with a great environment for meetings.

7. Favourite lockdown activity?

Running – have ran over 500km since lockdown and taking walks in countryside

8. Most creative meal that you cook?

I love spicy food so Thai and Indian Chicken/Lamb/Beef dishes are always at the forefront but nothing beats a spicy hot veggie omelette for breakfast.

9. Most creative thing you’ve seen on a video call during the lockdown?

Nothing really has stood out for me, been too busy focused on conversations I guess, if I have to pick one, then probably the live Zoom background of the Northern Lights.

10. Most mundane task you’ve completed since being in lockdown?

Organising my files and folders on my laptop and releasing so much hard disk space! Almost like having a new laptop

11. Do you write a blog that you’d like us to share?

https://e5interactive.io/education/

12. What are you looking forward to doing again the most after lockdown?

Getting back to managing exhibition projects onsite, face-to-face meetings and travelling the world!  I am lucky enough I get to combine all three in my business and I really have missed doing what I love!