FEATURE
It was as a boy of six , watching Top of the Pops , that Dom Lusardi first remembers discovering the switch that helped to define his life .
They were the days of top-loading videocassettes , and Iron Maiden were being recorded in black and white . As Run To The Hills blared out , he instinctively fumbled around at the back of the machine , flicked a switch , and the picture turned colour . “ To me , it was simple curiosity – to my family , it was a miracle . From then on , technology became my best friend ,” he smiles . “ If the TV or video recorder broke , I was suddenly in demand .”
Thirty-six years on , Dom has been recognised at the inaugural Tees Tech Awards for his pioneering role in the region ’ s technology sector . Organised by Tees Business , the awards shone a spotlight on local digital innovation , with Dom winning the Tech Ambassador title .
That local validation means a lot , but it is increasingly clear that he is becoming an influential part of the national picture , with 10 Downing Street securing his advice on shaping the digital economy , and the Labour Party also knocking on his door .
For someone who found it hard to fit in at school , and was told playing computer games was a waste of time , it must be strange to suddenly feel so wanted . He points to parallels with his Italian ancestors , who headed to England to escape rural poverty . “ As immigrants , they were outcasts too , but found ways to be accepted , and make their own lives better ,” he explains .
The Lusardi line , on his father ’ s side , had come from Liguria , while his mother ’ s family had fled their village , near Naples , during the First World War . Both families settled in the Italian Quarter of Leeds , and began working together , with a natural gift for entrepreneurship .
Dom ’ s Neapolitan great-great-grandma talked a baker into letting her make Italian bread once he ’ d finished with his ovens each day . Her next move was to rent factory space to make ice cream under the Frank Granelli brand .
Meanwhile , her daughter – Dom ’ s greatgrandmother – entertained mill workers with a barrel organ , and sold them bread buns . It led to a shop being established next to the mill , and the family soon had several stores .
Dom was born in “ Jimmy ’ s ” Hospital , in Leeds , in 1977 , the son of an Inland Revenue worker and a nursery school nurse . With two other children , the family moved to nearby Mirfield , in the midst of the miners ’ strike , and Dom ’ s good fortune was to have grandfathers who shared a love of technology .
Grandad Leslie was a retired miner , respected as a bridge builder between strikers and management . “ He knew how to join things up , and was brilliant with electronics and engineering ,” says Dom . “ He became my hero .”
Grandad Ronald delivered ice cream to upmarket restaurants . Known for his pin-striped suits , he converted the boot of his Jag into a freezer to impress customers – another example of technology making life better .
Dom ’ s own life descended into sadness at the age of four when his parents separated , and the stigma of being from a divorced family weighed heavily when he started school . He stayed with his dad in Mirfield to begin with , but later moved in with his mum , who had gone on to marry a wealthy entrepreneur . Overnight , home went from being a small house in working class Mirfield to a Harrogate mansion .
“ It was a different world , with tennis courts , but I was still struggling with emotions and relationships ,” he admits .
Having failed to fit in at private school , Dom
22 | Tees Business