Business high-flyer Charlie Blakemore's winning journey on and off the football pitch

He has since become group managing director of Intercity Technology, a company just celebrating two years of record growth.

And then there's football.

The beautiful game brought Charlie plenty of wow moments, guiding non-league minnows Chasetown on two epic FA Cup journeys, taking on the likes of Oldham Athletic, Port Vale and Cardiff City.

But saying they are 'pinch yourself' experiences partly does Charlie a disservice. That almost suggests an element of surprise.

And yet the success in both fields is down to more than that. Success in business and sport both need special qualities.

"I think the two are very similar," says Charlie, who still oozes passion for football. "In both, it's about having a collective goal."

"It's about tactically getting things right, whether that's beating League One Port Vale, five leagues above you, or closing a business deal.

"You need to have that meticulous planning, preparation and belief.

"In my position at Intercity it has been about developing a strategy, understanding the competition and the strength of the business, where the market is going.

"You need analysis and preparation and, just like football, it's about getting a good team around you and playing to their strengths, encouraging and giving people a goal, inspiring and motivating them."

Bringing out the confidence in people is a key skill, adds Charlie, who is also on the board of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.

"I have seen how powerful it is if you can get people behind you," he adds. "You have to give people that belief in whatever field you work in."

"It doesn't matter what background someone comes from. It's important to give people a chance if they are capable and it's lovely to see someone gain confidence and flourish in business.

"And that's like football too. You can see, at every level, a player who might just be lacking in confidence.

"It's not rocket science – if you get them feeling a million dollars about themselves, and encourage them, players will perform better.

"Equally, don't be afraid to tell them when things aren't right either. Being honest and authentic with your team helps build trust and can unlock their potential and belief they lacked."

That support is something Charlie experienced himself as he rose from apprentice at Hadley Castle, Telford to a leading player at BAE Systems, where he spent more than 30 years.

As well as leading the Global Land business, he held executive board positions in their Maritime and Air Sectors businesses.

This involved successfully leading business transformation and delivering large complex projects including Typhoon, Hawk, F35, Type 45 frigate and aircraft carriers.

"As I was an apprentice myself, I am a big advocate of them," he says. "I believe there's a massive business benefit from companies, growing their own talent."

"Apprenticeships bring loyalty and allow for tailored development and the fabric of the business becomes part of an apprentice's DNA and it's lovely to see them grow.

"I have always been very grateful for the support I had from starting out as a technical apprentice and I do pinch myself when I think I ended up running a business with 13,000 staff. I often reflect and think how the hell did I do all that.

"But it shows the value of apprenticeships to me. They bring diversity of thought, different backgrounds and great opportunity to learn from experienced people."

"Ultimately, not everyone at school suits the academic route. I have two daughters – Emily, who studied at the University of Birmingham and now has a great career at Higgs solicitors and Lily, who went down the apprentice route at RBSL in Telford, and is flourishing in her role there. Both are benefiting professionally and personally from the great environments they are working in."

"I wasn't a natural academic. I preferred football to study but was still able to grow in business."

That mention of football brings out as much joy in Charlie's voice as his success in business.

"I still play five-a-side and in veterans games and the game is in my DNA," he reflects.

As manager of Chasetown FC from 2004-2011, like in business, he proved a winner, guiding the club to two promotions and leading the club into FA Cup ties which put Chasetown on the footballing map.

They enjoyed a live date on Match of the Day when they played Oldham in the FA Cup first round in the 2005-06 season, eventually losing after a replay.

And then they defeated Port Vale in a second round tie in the 2007-08 campaign to earn a third round clash with Cardiff City.

"They were seven years of unreal, fantastic times," he recalls. "I simply love the Scholars. They are, and always will be, in my heart.

"I played for them on and off for 20 years and coached and managed them for seven, so it's nearly a 30-year association.

"It's a special club and my family and I had some fantastic times there, especially those magical cup runs.

"You look back at what we did and it was just incredible."

"Playing Oldham Athletic at home, live on Match of the Day, 3.2 million viewers watching and we drew 1-1 with them.

"So much work went into getting ready for that game for a tiny club but we achieved it and suddenly we were in the national spotlight.

"They say you live your dreams and we genuinely were.

"And then, two years later, we went two steps further, beat Port Vale and played Cardiff in the third round.

"In some ways the second one was a bigger achievement because the element of surprise from the first FA Cup run had gone.

"But we filled ourselves with belief in that run, never gave up and we held our nerve, as you do in business."

Charlie eventually left as the demands of combining football and his career in BAE Systems became too much and more time travelling abroad meant he missed training sessions.

But football remained a passion and he's still president of Albrighton Football Club while he's a regular at Chasetown and Wolves.

Would he go back into the game?

"I have been out of the non-league scene a while now and it's just fun watching others in the dug out going crazy!" he said.

"Mark Swann is there now, a brilliant lad and doing a fantastic job.

"If ever, in their hour of need, they wanted someone to hold the reins for a short time, I'd help them out but I think those days are gone and I just look back with pride and enjoyment really."

Charlie's very busy, anyway, showing no signs of letting up in business, leading Intercity which provides a wide portfolio of IT services to many sectors.

As Group Managing Director, since 2020, he has helped ensure Intercity’s first-class technology solutions and customer service are delivered effectively and efficiently, working with sectors such as construction, agriculture, charities, aerospace, defence and legal.

"I remember when I was first asked to take up a non-executive director role at Intercity," Charlie says. "They wanted to add some operational experience on the board and I loved it every time I went into the business."

There was a fantastic vibe, with great people and I was back in the Midlands so when the owner, Andrew Jackson, asked me to join full time, it was a great opportunity.

"It's been amazing. We have grown our own cyber security and cloud capabilities in house.

"We invested heavily in the pandemic. It was big risk to put investment in at a time when most companies were stripping their overheads. We didn't furlough anyone, we took on graduates and apprentices and held our nerve."

"We knew the market and demand was there. We could see remote and hybrid working were here to stay and companies were considering outsourcing and complementing their IT capabilities.

"We came out of the pandemic in 2021 and have achieved two years of record growth. We are growing organically and have done so at 20 per cent for the last two years.

"We have gone from 160 employees to 220 and we have a good long term business plan and a really exciting future.

"I have implemented the same project management framework we used at BAE to build really complex projects like Typhoon at Intercity and it has transformed our customer service performance."

"We have brought that discipline, training and capability into Intercity so we have 20 plus colleagues now who are Association of Project Management qualified to really deliver projects on time and in a professional manner.

"I think it sets us a part and that consistent delivery has helped fuel our growth."

It's been quite a journey from the boardroom to the dressing room and back again and the indications are there are plenty more positive results to come.