An interview with Rob Farnol, Account Director for MEDIO, powered by Involve.
In this blog post, Rob discusses an early career that began with a French degree and a drift into the corporate world, before an opportunity at Involve changed everything. He also reflects on a visit to a cancer team’s meeting room that forged his understanding of how the right, or wrong, technology can shape the quality of patient care.
Early days
“I had no idea what I wanted to do when I started. I studied French at university and assumed that would shape my career path. The next thing I knew, I was working in corporate sales. I drifted into it via a service management position at a previous organisation. Then I saw an opportunity at Involve, took it, and never looked back.”
Impact of technology
As an Account Director at MEDIO, Rob has seen the difference technology can make when it’s done right. But he’s noticed a recurring problem – decisions get made without asking what users need, and cost ends up driving the choice instead. The result is clinicians using equipment that just isn’t fit for purpose.
“Technology affects patient care through how easy it is to use, and how well it does what people actually need it to do. Healthcare staff are busy, and we hear the same thing from them again and again: ‘I just want to walk into a room, press a button, and have it work.’ When you think about it, that’s not asking for much.
“That’s true in boardrooms, where key decisions get made and discussions can have far-reaching consequences. But it’s especially true in the work we do with cancer teams and multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs). Over the years, I’ve seen how much frustration bad technology causes when it’s unreliable and doesn’t do the job.
“I really understood this a few years ago, when I visited a site looking for new AV technology for their MDT rooms. The TVs weren’t good enough to host calls or review scans properly. The control panels didn’t work properly and didn’t show the right information. And every time someone needed to do something, they had to grab one of four different remote controls lying around the room.
“This is a room where people discuss patient care and make decisions that change lives. Healthcare professionals deserve equipment that lets them do that properly, and care for patients to the standard they set for themselves. That’s the moment it really hit me: it’s not just about the technology itself. Screens are screens, video conferencing systems are video conferencing systems. What matters is whether it actually works for the people using it.”
Pride in his work
Beyond the technical details of any installation, Rob shares how working in this sector means something to him on a much more personal level, shaped by moments that have brought the work close to home in ways he didn’t expect.
“There’s a kind of pride that comes from working with the public sector, especially the NHS, because we all have a vested interest in seeing it do well. It’s been a privilege to work with people who genuinely care about what they do.
“It ties back to my own experiences. A few years ago, we delivered and installed a cancer MDT room for an NHS trust – the team still uses it today, and they’ve since had two more setups from us over the last eight years. A member of my own family was treated by that very team, in that very room I’d set up. Moments like that really bring it home.
“On another occasion, I was paying for parking at a hospital and got chatting to a gentleman sitting in the boot of his car with a cup of tea. He mentioned his retirement, then started talking about his cancer treatment – he even showed me his scars. It turned out he’d been cared for by that same cancer team. Having that real-world connection to the work, twice over, adds a whole different level to it. Without your health, you’ve got nothing. It’s a genuine privilege.”
Life away from work
“Outside of work, I’m part of a family of four. I’m a father to a 9-year-old and a 14-year-old, so we deal with all the usual challenges of juggling family life, plus neurodiversity, which can make day-to-day things a little trickier.
“We spend as much time together as a family as we can, getting away from the crowds and noise and out into the countryside. We’re lucky in the Southwest to have the Stroud Hills and the Forest of Dean on our doorstep, and family near Abergavenny by the Black Mountains. It’s fantastic to get out to those places as often as we can. I also love building wooden mechanical models in my spare time – it’s a great way to switch my brain into a different gear.”
Get in touch with Rob and the MEDIO team at: hello@involve.vc
