Managing director, UK&I, Exertis
What was the worst job you have ever had?
As a school boy cleaning pots in Dail Eireann, the equivalent of the Irish Houses of Parliament. Just constant brushing of dirty steel pots in luke warm water with wire wool. I lasted a week.
Which actor would you pick to play you in a movie of your life?
Aidan Quinn, the other man in our marriage, because my wife Jill has been in love with him for all our married life.
What do you do as your party trick?
I'm a handy juggler but invariably at Exertis parties I get challenged on being the quickest to down a pint of Guinness. Having successfully defended my crown for many years, on turning 50 I've been able to graciously pass on the title to some of the younger bucks.
What is your favourite chocolate bar?
Yorkie.
What has been the highlight of your career to date?
Seeing Exertis Micro P win the CRN Distributor of the Year award in 2013 was a highlight for me. I was hugely pleased for all the brilliant, hardworking, driven people in our business to get recognition for what they do, day in day out. That award was the icing on the cake, as we had already won PC Retail, Mobile News and Mobile Distributor of the Year in 2013.
Has 2014 been a good, bad or ugly year?
2014 has been a good and challenging year. In December 2013 we set out on the journey of uniting Exertis Micro P, Exertis Gem, Exertis Advent and Exertis MSE into one Exertis UK business. We've made huge strides in executing our plan so far this year, and have also extended our geographical footprint into the Nordics with the acquisition of Exertis Captech.
How would you explain the IT channel to a stranger without boring them to death?
In a previous life I was commercial manager for the Road Construction division of a top 10 Australian Plc, where I could bore people about how the density of asphalt is critical to minimising noise pollution and surface water on roads, so IT is a doddle in comparison.
I tell them that we supply the products that enables our customers to deliver the systems that allow 99 per cent of the population to create, enhance, share information and communicate with each other in either their work or personal life.
Aside from the channel, my dream career would be... having just come back from the Ryder Cup I'd have to say professional golfer. Leaving that aside I always enjoy creating and building so architecture is something I'd love to have excelled at.
What major issues will the channel face in 2015?
We're looking forward with optimism to 2015 as business confidence continues to bounce back. While technical challenges will continue to exist such as how do we actually make money out of cloud-based services, the underlying challenges will remain the same. Having employees and suppliers that create solutions which help our customers grow their business.
