Eddie Chance loves to travel and likens himself to Jensen Button
What was your first job, and how did you get into IT?
Post-sales consultant at NCR Financial Services Division. I got the job through a graduate placement programme after becoming a bachelor of computer information systems.
Planes, trains or automobiles?
Planes. I love travelling to new places and seeing how business is done in different countries.
What sport should be in the Olympics?
The only sport I follow is F1; could that be in the Olympics?
Which fictional TV character is borrowing ideas from your life?
The only thing I watch on TV is F1, but Jensen Button demonstrates the same level of tenacity that I do.
What was your best business trip ever?
San Francisco. I was working on a proposition with 12 European utilities to create a new business to provide outsourced procurement services. We won that one!
What was the best holiday you ever went on?
Celebrating my 40th birthday, cruising in the Mediterranean with my family for three weeks. The trip culminated in a helicopter tour of Monte Carlo, home of the best F1 Grand Prix circuit in Europe.
"I never…"
... leave the office when I say I'm going to.
"I always…"
... make sure I'm home before 5pm on a Friday.
Will we see businesses take green ICT more seriously?
Yes, it's like corporate social responsibility. Everyone knows we need to do it and now there are business models that allow companies to demonstrate they are taking this stuff seriously.
Will virtualisation become as profitable for the channel as pundits predict?
Yes. Disruptive technology creates opportunities. Clients and servers changed the way IT was delivered and the internet changed it again. Today, virtualisation and the cloud are making people think about ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Print or online news?
Online, because I can read the news without getting out of bed in the morning.
Do you use social media?
Both business and personal, but I keep the two separate; Facebook for my personal life, and LinkedIn for business.
Is IT well taught in schools?
No. Most children use IT every day. Social media has changed the way children interact. Schools need to focus on how technology can change things, and how new business models can be created.
Eddie Chance is director of EMEA partners and sales operations at SecureWorks
