There are few subjects that David Potter is not comfortable talking about. A conversation with the former scientist, academic and entrepreneur spans theoretical physics, stock market crashes, the computer industry and his early childhood in East London and Cape Town. He is still chairman of the company he founded - UK-based software-turned-computer-equipment manufacturer Psion - and focuses on a wide range of philanthropic ventures.
When the FM interview ed him at his offices in the Georgian mansions bordering Regents Park in London, the Springboks had just beaten England in the World Cup final. So the obvious question for Potter, who has lived mostly in the UK since he arrived at Cambridge in 1963, is what team did he back?
For a moment, Potter looks distinctly uncomfortable. He then falls on Lord Tebbit, former Conservative chairman and Thatcherite minister's "cricket test", that you can tell if an immigrant has adapted to his new home by whether he supports the English cricket team. But, Potter confesses, he supported the Springboks "on this occasion".
Potter arrived in the UK to study natural sciences at Cambridge on a Beit scholarship after a year at the University of Cape Town (UCT). After completing a master's degree there, he went on to Imperial College for a PhD in mathematical physics. For a few years after that he taught, and wrote a book on computational physics. But it was during a year teaching at the University of Los Angeles that the seed for his future career was planted. "In California I saw what was happening with the first microchips. I saw it was going to be a massive phenomenon."
Back in London, where wife Elaine was pursuing a career in journalism, he decided to start his own company using capital he'd made during the 1974 market crash. "I wrote to my bank manager and told him to buy six companies - I had £3 000 in savings - six months later it had tripled." He had honed his stock research skills and begun a life-long fascination with economics and financial markets.
"I didn't have any plan or any product, though I understood balance sheets very well. I decided I would study what was going on and identify an opportunity."
His studies le d him to examine the software being created for the first generation of personal computers - the Apple 2, Acorn and Commodore PET.
Psion became a software developer for the home computer market, with classics including the "brickbreaker" game on the ZX Spectrum. In its first year, Psion made £10 000. Three years later it made £3,2m.
But as more competitors, including Microsoft, entered the software market, Psion looked to diversify. That le d it to develop the world's first personal digital assistant (PDA), a market it had to itself for years. The last model was the popular 1991 Series 3, of which 1,5m were made until 1998.
Psion is still in the PDA market, but focused on corporate users - like the devices used by FedEx and DHL to sign for parcels deliveries. It remains a listed company with a market capitalisation of £133m.
But Psion's high point was when it took a 50% interest in Symbian, the operating software that is still used on 90% of the world's cellphones. Potter chaired and ran Symbian from 1999, when it was formed with Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola, until 2004, when Psion sold out of the business, receiving £135m for its then 31% stake. Symbian developed out of Psion's handheld software.
But Psion remains a global company, operating in 80 countries and supplying corporate customers, from the military to Otis Lifts.
"I'm a born entrepreneur," says Potter, because he is "kind of contrarian".
Potter still has strong links to SA. Mounted on the wall in his office above a Bloomberg terminal is a large framed photograph of his wine farm in the shadow of the Simonsberg. Potter's philanthropic efforts are also focused on SA - the David & Elaine Potter Charitable Foundation funds scholarships to UCT and has supported Cida City Campus.
Potter has also been a member of President Thabo Mbeki's high-powered international advisory committee on information & communications technology (ICT), along with the likes of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Mark Shuttleworth.
Potter describes it as "a very interesting forum", but is not on top of SA's ICT policy flipflops.
Potter is a non executive director of the Bank of England, among many other directorships, and has honed his thinking on monetary policy. SA's money managers come in for special praise. "What is vital is to maintain the integrity of money. I think finance minister Trevor Manuel and the Reserve Bank have done a fantastic job."
But Potter also has some criticism of SA economic policy, though not of the sort typical of business leaders. "I can't help feeling that a larger role for government should have been pursued. My own view is that taxes could be higher and that more could be done, particularly in education."
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