Innov8: 8 Questions with Justin Bellinger

At Tekex, we’re proud to champion the people shaping the future of innovation across the Channel Islands. As part of our Innov8 series - eight questions with members of the Innovate Guernsey Board - we’re sitting down with the individuals driving forward ideas, collaboration, and change.

This week, we spoke with Justin Bellinger, who has long been a key voice in Guernsey’s digital evolution, with a career that’s spanned engineering, leadership, and innovation at every level.

From building the islands’ internet backbone to exploring the possibilities of AI, Justin’s curiosity and drive continue to push boundaries - all fuelled by an enduring passion for innovation (and peanuts).

Let’s kick off with probably the most important question of this interview… if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

It would have to be peanuts - salted, chilli, salt & vinegar, dry roasted - peanuts for sure!

Imagine that someone reading this has never heard of the Innovate Guernsey Board… can you explain what the purpose of it is?

TL;DR version: Our purpose is to “help shape the future of innovation in Guernsey through collaboration, ideas, and action.”

Our role is simple yet powerful: listen deeply, amplify loudly. Together, we're building a vibrant, innovative future for Guernsey.

We build the foundations for new and reinvigorated businesses to grow and flourish in Guernsey. We connect ideas to facilitators, policymakers, and investors - both on and off island. We are not the arbiters of good ideas; we do not filter or pick winners, but instead connect our community to help build platforms for growth. Some will flourish, others won’t - but all have merit.

What impact do you hope the Innovate Guernsey Board will have over the next few years?

My Board and I know that Innovate Guernsey will help our island, our community, and our businesses grow to reach their full potential. We’re keen to assist in providing that platform for growth.

Our Board is diverse in skillset and extremely inclusive. We’re building and signposting to specialists across our island who have deep expertise in areas outside the core Board, and I know that this type of connection is especially easy to build in Guernsey. We have no end of extremely talented individuals here.

What made you apply to join the Innovate Guernsey Board?

I very much like working in a limitless environment. The brief was compelling, the scope potentially unbounded - help our economy grow through diversification. That’s exactly the sort of challenge I respond well to.

I’m a curious type and thrive on exploring new areas, but the gift of curiosity is both a benefit and a curse. I asked AI for a quote or idiom to help me elaborate on this; the response was: “The same itch that can distract and unsettle is also the engine that turns wonder into innovation.”

I read it twice and asked the bot, “Who wrote it?” - “I did,” came the response!

Who or what inspires you when it comes to innovation?

This is a really tough one. Virtually every person I meet gives me inspiration and insight. There’s so much more we can discover if we learn to see the world through lenses other than our own.

I’ve also been extremely fortunate to have been born into an age of massive societal shifts. My background is in engineering, and early in my career I was one of the engineers responsible for the Channel Islands Internet Backbone - we literally built the infrastructure that changed our lives and businesses by bringing the internet to our islands.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received in your career?

Ask for forgiveness, not permission. It’s something that comes naturally to me ;-)

I can’t help but ask “why not?” rather than “why?” I’ve worked on some ‘impossible’ infrastructure challenges and some gnarly stakeholder engagement pieces to overcome them - all have been resolved by pushing the boundaries.

If you weren’t doing your current role, what would your “alternative career” be?

Almost certainly fractional - inch deep, mile wide sort of stuff. I really enjoy problem-solving, but not to the extent of becoming a global expert in one subject.

As it happens, I’m already building a fun “alternative career”: being a NED for Guernsey Electricity gives me a fulfilling insight into the challenges of multigenerational infrastructure investment. I’m also on the board of an AI-first recommendation engine - fun and quite cutting-edge in that sector. In addition, I’m a NED for an affiliate marketing company, an award-winning software company, and hold a few advisory positions across a broad range of industries.

Finally, if you had to describe Guernsey’s innovation potential in three words, what would they be?

Limitless. Collaborative. Vibrant.