Readers' lives: Fun and the sun

Giddins: Loves sailing

What was your first job, and how did you get into IT?
Dealer sales support at Olivetti. I joined to work for the marketing director, and after six months they gave me a car and sent me up and down the UK training, and selling printers and PCs to dealers. It was a good learning curve…until my car caught fire!

Planes, trains or automobiles?
Cars all the way. I like to be the one behind the wheel.

What sport should be in the Olympics but isn’t?
I’d like to see more competitive team sports such as rugby or cricket at the Games. We have some great unsung heroes that would do our country proud!

What could prompt you to give it all up and join the revolution?
I feel like I have already, with some of the battles I take on. I would love it if my fairy godmother were to hand me a very large cheque and a beach in the Caribbean. Then I’d give up the rat race!

“In my dreams …”
I would live in a warm climate all year round, have my own beach bar and a yacht to sail around the world.

What was your best business trip or junket ever?
There have been so many. The best however were in Vegas, Istanbul, Rome and San Francisco. Great cities but also I had A LOT of fun!

What was the best holiday you ever went on?
Sailing in Turkey with family and friends; there is an immense sense of freedom to mooring every night in a different bay.

“I never…”
Look back and think ‘what if?’.

“I always…”
Want to win. For the sense of achievement and progress.

Will we see businesses take green ICT more seriously this year?
As we start to see many more governments and private industries backing green initiatives, it will be taken more seriously, however the main driver will remain cost.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) from 1 April forced companies to essentially off-set their carbon emissions in monetary terms, pushing them to go green.

Will virtualisation become as profitable for the channel as pundits predict?
Yes, I see it as a specialisation for those with the right services infrastructure.

Print or online news?
Online, I love the instant updates and access to news any time, wherever I am in the world.

Do you use social media? Business or personal?
Both, it’s a great way to stay in touch when I’m travelling around, although I prefer face-to-face meetings.

Will the economic recovery continue?
Yes, albeit slowly. Businesses are learning to adapt their services to changing needs as a result of the economic downturn.

Do vendors do enough to help their channel?
Vendors need to listen more to their channels, rather than constantly talk at them. I always prefer to work jointly with our channel partners to ensure we are closely engaged in the sales, support and marketing aspects of their business.

Is IT well taught in schools?
It is a lot better than it used to be, as children are now more freely exposed to IT at school and at home too, with more opportunities to learn. I certainly wish we had the internet when I was doing my homework.

Amanda Giddins is EMEA channel director at Brocade