Duncan Hart is the CEO and co-founder of DeepMiner, an Aberdeen-based AI-driven platform that simplifies complex data landscapes into actionable insights for public and private sector organisations.
With 25+ years of work experience and an MBA from the University of Southampton, Hart has held a variety of national and international senior leadership positions from shipbuilding to oil and gas.
Having successfully deployed data to drive decision-making in previous organisations, he co-founded DeepMiner in 2017 and now works with clients across the private and public sectors to demonstrate the power of data and with the right knowledge, they can use it to help drive and disrupt traditional business models.
From lucky breaks to failures, he shares some of the lessons he’s learnt…
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
Working out. I got back into training a minimum of 30 mins per day at the end of 2024 as a way of handling stress and being able to keep up with my children.
I have committed to turning up and doing something each day, and the benefits have been incredible, from both a physical and mental health perspective.
In the middle of an intense session, I am not thinking about work, I am thinking about surviving the next 30 minutes. It is freeing.
What’s been your luckiest break?
Moving to France for work. The chance to move to France for six years as part of my career allowed me to experience living and working long term in another country.
I had to professionally “get on” in another social and business culture, whilst at the same time learn a new language. It allowed me to see how different companies work and how innovation can be done in a different way to how I had seen in the work I had been doing until that date.
It also allowed me to work in a pan-European role, working across different locations from Southern Europe to Northern Europe, understanding cultural differences, whilst at the same time learning how many things were fundamentally the same.
What’s your best failure?
France again when I started a company there. It was an incredible journey of highs and lows – and ultimately the low was my best failure.
The company I had started, essentially collapsed in on itself, a combination of youthful naivety and hubris.
It was a very humbling experience to come back to the UK with virtually nothing to my name, having been living the high life. It made me start to appreciate the simple and important things in life. Not right away, for a while, I did blame others for the failure, but in time I came to realise that it was in the main my actions that had led to the downfall of the company. A hard pill to swallow, but that reflection has set me up for the future.
What is the best investment you’ve ever made, either financial or time?
My children. I am an older father, and compared to my peers, I am the last to have children, and it has been an amazing experience. Very early on I decided to make sure that I invest the time in them and to be present as a father, even when running a start-up.
There have been times that I’ve turned down speaking opportunities to go trick or treating with them and others, or when I’ve been sat on the train at midnight making sure I’m home to see them the next morning.
They put perspective on everything I do. When your eldest son tells you that he doesn’t want to have his own business as it looks “really stressful” you know you must do something about it and get a grip on the important things in life.
Which podcast or book would you recommend others to read/listen to, and why?
As much as I value podcasts, I would recommend everyone to read the classic by Michael E Porter – Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors.
If you want to understand the basics of business, you cannot do better than this back to basics read.
Yes, I fully appreciate that new forces and new dynamics are developing in the market today, there are certain fundamentals that stay the same. They may be delivered differently but stay the same with a modern twist on them.
What one piece of advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Always learn and be open to different opinions and experiences. Sometimes when I was younger, I thought that I was right, when I wasn’t.
I’d encourage my younger self to listen to those trying to guide you and give them the benefit of their lived experience as it opens your mind and makes you a better person and at business.
I follow that mantra today. I try to listen to all ages and experiences as it is important to keep learning. I am now on my third career, having started in engineering and moving into AI. We live in amazing times and to be closed to that seems a shame.
Who or what has had the single biggest influence on your working life?
Too many to mention in one sitting… Friends, family, colleagues have all had an impact on me (good and bad).
As many are, I’m still on a journey of learning, and I’m excited to see how the workplace and business is evolving and I’m doing my best to grow and improve with that.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
Those who know me might be shocked by this one, but I spent nine months as a lifeguard on a Spanish beach when I was 20.
It was an amazing experience; I learnt Spanish (I was the only English speaker when I arrived), had to work in a team environment made up of young and experienced lifeguards, whilst having the responsibility of safeguarding people enjoying the sea. An unforgettable experience.
If there was one thing you could change about your career, what would it be and why?
I have thought about this often and can honestly say nothing. I have had great success and big failures, but both have made me what I am today. The only thing I could say, is to start a pension earlier!
What does success look like to you?
Being grateful for the small things. I have an amazing family, friends, colleagues. I also have my health and, luckily, I have a house and a car. Having lost one or more of these things (and at one point nearly everything) at certain points in my career I’ve come to learn that who and what you have around you are truly the best measure of success you can have in your life – the rest is just stuff that comes and goes.
