Alexander Jay is CEO of Little Green Button, the Norfolk business behind panic alarm software used by staff in healthcare, education and local government.
Founded by Jon Witte in 2004, the company says its system is used by more than 100,000 people at over 2,500 organisations. In November 2025 it launched the Mini Green Button, a wearable Bluetooth button that lets lone workers raise an alert without unlocking their phone. He tells Business Matters why he wants workplaces to stop waiting for an incident before they think about safety.
What do you currently do at Little Green Button?
I am the CEO of Little Green Button. We make digital panic alarm and lone worker software, used in multiple sectors including healthcare, education and local government. Staff can raise an alert from a desktop app, a mobile app or a physical button, including the Mini Green Button wearable we launched in November 2025.
My job is to set the direction for the business, keep us growing sustainably and make sure we do not lose sight of why we exist, which is keeping staff safe.
A current challenge for me is changing how workplaces think about safety. Unfortunately, many people are reactive and wait until something happens, which is when an organisation goes looking for a solution.
We would much rather staff had the tools and training in place beforehand, so if a difficult situation does come up, they are protected and know how to react. Technology has made that far more achievable than it used to be, and I think we are starting to see a real change in how organisations approach risk.
Internally, a lot of my time is spent developing the Little Green Button team. That means mentoring, clearing blockers and making sure people have what they need to crack on and do good work.
What was the inspiration behind your business?
Our founder, Jon Witte, spent time with frontline workers in the early 2000s and kept hearing the same thing. They wanted a discreet way to get help from colleagues when faced with a challenging situation, ideally using the equipment they already had. Radios, expensive hardwired systems and unreliable free apps were not doing the job, so Jon built Little Green Button.
The product has come a long way since then. It covers far more use cases, devices and types of organisations than it did at the start. But the core idea has not really changed: make it easy for someone to get help when they need it most.
We are now used in more than 25 countries, which I am genuinely proud of given we started from humble roots in Norfolk. We also support a range of public-facing organisations in sectors from healthcare and education to retail, helping professionals in critical services to feel safe in their workplace.
Who do you admire?
People like Jon and my colleagues, who are prepared to put themselves out there to change something for the better. I am also lucky to have the support of a peer group of founders, leaders and colleagues who have each taught me something.
What they tend to have in common is ambition without ego. They all want to build something meaningful and push themselves and their businesses forward, but they also recognise the responsibility that comes with leading other people.
It can be a balancing act. The leaders I respect most are the ones that want the best for the company and their team, but not at the expense of their morals or wellbeing.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
I would have liked to get exposure to entrepreneurship and technology businesses much earlier. I did what a lot of people do and went to university and then into a job, mainly because those were the routes I knew and was nudged towards. If I had seen a business being built from the inside sooner, I might have done things quite differently.
It has shaped how I think about young people starting out now. There are far more options than most people realise, and often someone just needs to see an alternative before they know it is there. That is why I advocate mentoring, work experience and access to people who run businesses in my network and local community.
You do not necessarily need to know exactly what you want to do at 18 or 21, but seeing what is out there and the career paths others have taken gives you a much better chance of finding the right one for you.
What defines your way of doing business?
Putting people first. Little Green Button is where we are because of some very talented people who have chosen to build this business with us. We work hard as a team to ensure we feel trusted and supported to do our best work, something that takes consistent effort but pays off both for wellbeing and results.
It is the same with our customers. Some of ours have been brilliant advocates for the business and, just as importantly, their feedback, stories and suggestions keep pushing us to make the product better.
I do not see being commercially ambitious and looking after people as a trade-off. In my experience the best businesses do both. If you look after your people, listen to your customers and make sensible, sustainable decisions, then the commercial side usually follows.
I still face difficult decisions, but this mindset allows me to approach them fairly, with compassion and an understanding of the human impact of our business choices.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Make the ask. Ask for the opportunity, ask for feedback, ask someone experienced for half an hour of their time, ask if you can sit in on the meeting or take part in a new project. A lot of progress can come from simply being willing to put yourself forward and letting others know you are willing to participate.
Most people are much more generous with their time than you would think, especially when they can see you are keen to learn or trying to progress. But you usually have to ask and put yourself out there, because the opportunities and feedback do not tend to come looking for you.
