I met Paul in 2011 when we were both working at The Guardian newspaper. He wasn’t an easy person to get to know, I think it took a few weeks before we exchanged more than a few words. But things that come easy don’t last and often aren’t important. This was neither of those things.

Though it took some time, once we’d got past our shared introversion, we quickly bonded over mutual interests: We’re both massive nerds; we liked video games, heavy metal and painting toy soldiers. And we disliked our bosses, with a few drinks in us we were sure we could do a much better job of running the place if only people would listen to us.

That certainly wasn’t true for me, but it might have been for Paul. He was probably one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He had an unfailing ability to quickly grasp the detail and nuance of a thing and cut right to the heart of it. He was the person I thought about when I read the news or a good book, or discovered a new band, wondering what his take on it would be. He was the one person you wanted on your pub quiz team and the person you wanted on your side in any argument.

To me his other defining characteristic was his complete lack of tolerance for bullshit. The sort of bullshit that means you have to wear a shirt to work, you can’t like both Slayer and Little Mix, and that you should do a thing one way because that’s how everyone else does it.

Paul expected that opinions be judged on their merit, and the fact that he was wearing a punk rock t-shirt with baby sick on it to a corporate meeting, well, that had nothing to do with the value of what he had to say. Though this didn’t always work out, he ended up helping to create the sort of company he wanted to work for in Station10, and was instrumental in making it a successful business full of great people.

Paul and I became close friends over the years. Though you’d assume your best friends are those you grew up with, I often thought that Paul actually knew me better than anyone else. Paul and I saw each other most weekdays for 8 years and we went through a lot together; work drama, successes, breakups and happiness. He knew me as the person I actually am and I couldn’t have wished for a better friend. I miss him so much.

Steve Webb