Carol Shanahan: Co-founder of Synectics Solutions

November 9, 2024·30 min·2 clips

Carol Shanahan explains how her talent for truancy as a child became the foundation for her business success.

This episode features entrepreneur and philanthropist Carol Shanahan, co-founder of Synectics Solutions and chair of Port Vale Football Club, in conversation with host Elliot Moss. Shanahan discusses her unconventional path from leaving school without qualifications to building a major software company and leading a community-focused football club. She recounts becoming a dedicated football fan at age nine, attending West Bromwich Albion matches alone as a way to feel connected to her absent father. Shanahan describes football stadiums as social levelers, sharing an anecdote about the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire being recognized only as a fellow fan by his season-ticket neighbor. She reflects on a childhood split between rural Lincolnshire and diverse West Bromwich, where she developed a talent for truancy, visiting Dudley Zoo by blending in with school groups. Her first job was as a mainframe computer operator at 17, a role initially advertised for a man, and she later co-founded Synectics Solutions with her husband Kevin in 1992. The company, which grew to 350 staff, recently sold to a private equity firm. A pivotal moment came when a senior banker intervened to stop the Royal Bank of Scotland's GRG unit from taking down their business during a financial crisis. Shanahan explains she views setbacks in football and business as learning opportunities, stating "we never ever lose we win or we learn." She reveals the surreal week of the business sale, which included a home invasion by five masked men and Port Vale's relegation. Shanahan analyzes her entrepreneurial drive as stemming from having to create her own life blueprint from a young age without familial models. She discusses the intense public scrutiny of running a football club, noting her daughters left social media due to personal attacks, and her son's analogy that reading abusive comments is like inviting strangers into your kitchen. Shanahan describes a supportive network of football club owners who check on each other after poor match results. She details her relationship with club life president Robbie Williams, whom she asked to interact simply as "a Vale fan," which he appreciated. Her chosen song is Barbra Streisand and Stevie Wonder's "People," which she considers a lifelong anthem about connection. The tone is conversational and reflective, blending personal storytelling with business and community insights. Listeners interested in grassroots community building, football club ownership, or unconventional entrepreneurial journeys will find this episode compelling. Those seeking a strictly technical business case study or football tactics might find it less directly relevant.

As heard by us

A founder story where resilience, community duty, and football sit right beside the software business.

Carol Shanahan's path is appealing because it does not flatten itself into a neat success story. She left school without qualifications, started work at 17 as a mainframe computer operator, met Kevin in IT, and later helped build a software company aimed at fraud and financial…

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Why you'd press play

For when you want a founder story about a school-leaver who co-founded a software company countering fraud and financial crime, with football and community woven through it.

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