Recognised in the 2026 Business Leader Awards as Best Business Leader in Technology, Phil Race, CEO of Totalmobile, is leading a business that is changing how field-based workforces operate across essential service sectors. His leadership combines strategic direction, technological innovation, and a strong focus on people. These qualities continue to strengthen Totalmobile’s role in supporting frontline services around the world.

An Introduction to Phil Race and Totalmobile

Totalmobile is a global provider of field service management software, supporting more than 1,000 organisations and over half a million field workers each day across sectors including housing, emergency services, utilities, and care. Its Field First platform brings together scheduling, workforce management, and operational insight to help organisations deliver services more effectively and efficiently.

Since becoming CEO in 2024, Phil Race has led a period of clear strategic progress for the business. He has refined Totalmobile’s product direction through the development of its unified Field First platform, supported international growth into markets such as APAC, Ireland, and the Nordics, and helped secure significant new investment to accelerate the company’s global ambitions. Alongside this commercial and technical momentum, he has championed a culture that invests in people, encourages innovation, and builds long-term organisational strength.

Under Phil’s leadership, Totalmobile continues to strengthen its position within the global field service management market, supporting organisations that deliver essential services and improving outcomes for the teams and communities they serve.

In Conversation with Phil Race

Following his award win, we spoke with Phil about his leadership approach, challenges, and ambitions for the future.

Please provide a brief overview of your business or what do you do within the company.

Totalmobile was founded in 1985. It is a global leader in field service management (FSM) software, dedicated to making the work and lives of field workers better. Our Field First platform helps over 1,000 organisations across sectors like housing, emergency services, and utilities, and supports over half a million workers daily. But for me, that only tells half our story, because what sets us apart is our passion to help our customers really impact the world. Our end users include all Ambulance workers in the UK; we manage shifts and resourcing for these hard-pressed, vital individuals, who deserve a great service. We support care workers, ensuring they have the right information and have the right schedules to deliver a high-quality, empathetic service to their patients, and we help ensure houses for some of the poorest in society are maintained effectively, in a timely fashion, by the electricians, plumbers and plasterers who are working on their behalf. It is these stories that motivate us every day.

For my part, I think of myself as the conductor of an orchestra of talented people and teams, coaching them to work in tune with each other, ensuring they have the right tools and skills to play their part, and helping them play in harmony with each other – underpinned by a passion to be the best they can be whilst constantly improving day to day.

What would you attribute as the main reason for your success?

The best way to answer this is to share some of the ‘team rules’ our Executive Team recently agreed on. I believe these clearly outline how we aspire to work and the standards we uphold.

For example:

“Radical Candour” – being honest and open with each other.

“No Animal Farm” – for those familiar with George Orwell, the animals ended up creating a damaging hierarchy that became oppressive, the exact opposite of the culture of a successful team.

“Deliver the Promise” – don’t make promises you cannot keep and honour every commitment you make.

“Be respectful and empathetic” – everyone deserves a voice, and if you appreciate context and others’ perspectives, you will make much better decisions.

“Our team is a safe space” – where we encourage opinions and diversity within the team.

I firmly believe that my success stems from creating the right team dynamic and culture, where we are forthright yet respectful, dynamic yet considerate, and operating without politics. Software is a business where every decision has consequences, and there is a flow for a customer who is taken on a journey through our organisation. There was a great business book called ‘The Goal’, by Eli Goldratt, that lives with me, which describes a constant desire for continuous improvement within a factory. It’s a good proxy for a software business.

Finally, on this topic, I recall attending a presentation given by a former CEO of General Electric. The one simple takeaway from that presentation was the mantra “hire great talent, then get out of their way”. I couldn’t agree with that more!

What has been the biggest challenge you have overcome?

I was the CEO of a listed company providing managed technology services during Covid that, among other things, delivered services to several thousand schools and hundreds of SMEs. The overnight challenge of helping our customers educate children virtually, ensuring schoolchildren accessed virtual education services, while keeping investors and staff on side in an unprecedented socio-economic environment, was by far the most testing period of my career. Fortunately, I was surrounded by committed, creative, and empathetic people (including peers in CEO roles facing the same unique challenges) who helped me get through a very challenging period.

In my current role, the challenge has been to define and drive a technological strategy, and the related processes/organisation, that helps us focus spend, innovation, and resources on the right things at the right time. Every business faces constraints, with competing pressures from customers, prospects, technologists, and competitors. Sadly, you can’t please everyone all the time. But if you create a great “Engine Management System” within your software business, you can reconcile these different inputs and develop an adaptable plan that delivers the best return on investment. As a result, we have helped our customers differentiate themselves, become award winners in their sectors, and make a significant difference to society. Long may that continue!

What do you think made you stand out as a winner in the awards? Tell us about the specific project or facet of your business you believe earned you this award win.

I’d like to think it’s a result of the stories our customers have been sharing, either themselves or through Totalmobile’s Field First platform. We have some vivid references that truly illustrate what we do. Here are just a few:

Fife Council has now carried out over three million care visits using our platform

We assist Avon & Somerset Police in ensuring the right skills are in place to keep Glastonbury Festival safe

Our Lone Worker Protection application has accompanied our customers on journeys amounting to over 11 times the distance to the moon and back, helping to keep them safe

Our housing and FM clients are maintaining more than 2.5 million homes with the aid of our platform

The Kelly Group has scheduled over 1.5 million jobs with our technology

These stories beautifully highlight the excellent work my team does; I just happen to be the person whose name appears above the door.

What is the next big step for you?

We’ve just announced the acquisition of Totalmobile by Five Arrows, the alternative assets arm of Rothschild & Co – this is a major show of confidence in our business by a highly respected organisation. I compare it to climbing K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, only to be taken from there to Everest base camp.

We’ve achieved a great deal in recent years, but we are now redefining our horizons. We want to achieve more internationally, building on our success in Australia, for example. We want to embrace innovation, such as AI, and deliver the benefits of our investment in our exciting new platform, Field First, to our customers. This ambition is both exciting and daunting, but there are some exciting steps ahead in the near future.

Would you recommend Business Awards UK to other businesses? If so, why?

Having the opportunity to share our story and be recognised for our success is a truly wonderful thing. We are delighted to have been part of these awards, and to be personally recognised is a huge privilege that reflects the efforts of a large team. Celebrating this achievement with my team is an absolute pleasure. Thank you.

Looking Ahead

Phil Race’s leadership demonstrates how effective technology leadership is grounded not only in product innovation, but in clear strategy, strong culture, and meaningful real-world outcomes. Through Totalmobile’s work, organisations that deliver essential services are better equipped to support their teams and the communities they serve.

With new investment secured and international growth underway, Totalmobile is entering its next stage with clear momentum. Phil’s leadership continues to guide the business as it develops its Field First platform, explores new technologies such as AI, and expands its global reach. It is this combination of ambition, discipline, and focus on people that has defined his success and made him a worthy winner in the 2026 Business Leader Awards.