LDC Top 50 2026
Carl Maher
Managing Director
Innov8 Technology
“I still get imposter syndrome,” admits Carl Maher. “I’ve come from a council house in Wythenshawe and I’ve got no industry qualifications. That’s what keeps me pushing.” A founding director of Stockport-based Innov8 Technology in 1997, he became sole owner in 2020 and has since completed 10 acquisitions, building the business into one of the UK’s largest Sage partners with revenues of £22 million.
The business employs 134 people across nine offices in the UK and Ireland, and staff retention stands at 97 per cent. “We’ll do at least one acquisition every year,” he says.
We’ll do at least one acquisition every year.”
Q&A
What shaped your career?
I went to school in Wythenshawe, a region dominated by engineering companies in the 80s. I loved maths but started an engineering apprenticeship at 16 because that’s what everyone did. I lasted 18 months before quitting and felt I’d let everyone down, especially my dad, a hard-working time served Time & Motion Officer. That early failure still puts a fire in my belly. I drifted for three years before taking a Youth Training Scheme; I became assistant to the financial controller at an electronics company earning £27.30 a week and, for the first time, felt I’d found where I belonged.
What was the toughest moment of your career?
In 2020, my business partner Chris passed away, seven months before he was due to retire. He went on holiday, suffered a heart attack and never came home. Three weeks later, the country went into lockdown. I’d lost my business partner just as the business was at risk. We had to adapt quickly. It was an awful time.
What have acquisitions taught you?
Our first acquisition was the same size as us, so the challenge wasn’t the deal but bringing two cultures together. I learned that culture matters more than numbers. I spend time getting to know owners before any acquisition because I want to understand what they’re really like. Our last three acquisitions came through recommendations from businesses we’d already bought, which tells me we’ve done something right. I absolutely love what I do, and I genuinely want every employee to love their job too.
