Alistair Houghton meets CLIFF BARCLAY, MD of Inter-Group Communications

HE ONLY joined his father’s firm for a summer job – now Cliff Barclay is leading Inter-Group Communications to record growth.

Barclay first worked at the Southport telecoms company as a teenager, but never thought he would end up leading it.

Yet, 15 years later, he became managing director and has since seen the company more than double its turnover through acquisitions that have made it a UK player.

Barclay committed himself to IGC after a stint travelling around the world and surfing in Australia.

But his father, Brian, did not simply hand over the reins, and instead insisted his son earn the right to a management position.

“Working through the company was a great grounding,” said the quietly-spoken but determined Barclay.

“My dad being my dad, he did it the right way. He didn’t do me any favours. He made me work, and he made me learn. It’s stood me in good stead.”

IGC supplies telephone systems to organisations throughout the UK, ranging in size from small shops to local authorities.

Brian Barclay, a former British Telecom engineer, founded IGC in 1976. At first, the company specialised in entryphone and intercom systems, before moving into radio communications equipment and sealing deals as far afield as the Middle East.

But, in 1984, the UK telecoms market was liberalised, allowing other companies to take on BT, and IGC moved into that market.

“Mr father was an early adopter and grew the business very successfully,” said Barclay.

Barclay first worked at the business in 1990 as a summer job.

After studying business and photography at college, Barclay returned to the business, working in the technical department, before taking 18 months out to travel the world.

He travelled to Australia and the Far East, spending most time in the Western Australian city of Perth.

“I was a keen surfer back then,” he smiled.

Barclay returned to the UK 11 years ago, determined to help grow the family business in Southport. “When was young, I never had any ambition to be in the business,” he said. “Even in the early days when I was working there, it was just for the cash. It was just a summer job.

“It wasn’t until I went travelling, and I’d seen pretty much everything I’d wanted to see, that I realised there were opportunities at the business and it was time for me to get stuck in.”

Southport resident Barclay joined IGC’s sales team before rising up the management ranks.

He became managing director five years ago in a management buyout, which saw his father retire.

“He’s enjoying his golf, his holidays and his grandchildren,” said Barclay. “It’s taken him a long time to relax after 30-odd years running this business.”

When Barclay took the helm, IGC turned over £1.3m a year.

“It was at that point,” he said, “that we started looking at new projects, and examined what we were doing and how we were doing it.

“We made significant changes to how we did things, and to our approach. Everything we were doing was 10 years old. It was time we moved with our customers’ demands.

“We changed the shape of the business, streamlined it and focused on the things we were good at.

“That started the growth in revenues and, more importantly, profits.”

IGC was successfully winning new clients, and winning new business from existing ones, but Barclay realised it would have to go on the acquisition trail to grow any further.

So, in 2005, IGC bought a small rival in Wigan, Swinley Telecom.