In his spare time, Davy Nys is a league-level basketball player - a handy ability if you ever get stuck in a blender
What was your first job, and how did you get into IT?
My first IT job was when I was 16, writing software in Basic and C++ for a new machine tool that my grandfather invented. He was my hero and the reason I got into IT; he had his own business as a mechanical engineer, inventing and building machines.
Planes, trains or automobiles?
Automobiles. A long road trip is an escape where I can switch between audio books and chilling out listening to some music.
In my dreams...
...I'm playing basketball in front of an audience of 15,000 people chanting my name and cheering on my team.
What was the best business trip or junket you have ever been on?
In January 2010, Pentaho hosted an off-site event for the leadership team in a snow cabin at Lake Tahoe. The highlight was renting "Ferrari-fast" snowmobiles and riding them around the top of a mountain. That was an incredible rush.
If you had to choose one leisure activity, would you choose an art or a sport?
I'd go for basketball, because I play it in a league and I'm also a coach.
Oranges or bananas?
Bananas. They last longer.
If someone shrunk you to the size of a pencil and put you in a blender, how would you get out?
As a basketball player, I would simply jump out. A blender is only slightly taller than a pencil, after all.
Will there always be value in printed books and magazines?
Yes, during take-off and landing!
What will be the most important trend to follow in 2013?
Big data analytics. In 2013 we're going to see real technology breakthroughs, new use cases and customers in production. It's a massive opportunity for the channel because companies need help defining, implementing and integrating technology, as well as training users.
What would you like to have as your epitaph?
I'm not coming back!
Can politicians ever be trusted on IT?
Their track record isn't great but I'm seeing some inspiring projects in Switzerland, Belgium and Italy, where organisations are offering better services and greater public accountability to citizens using open source software and cloud services. In the UK, Francis Maude's move to open up the field to SMBs and open source technology is encouraging.
What are the characteristics of the perfect channel partner?
One that understands technology, has a sound business strategy, tries not to be everything to everyone and believes in training its people.
What is one thing you miss from being a kid that you no longer do or can do?
Being picked up by adults, thrown in the air, and helped to "fly". It's like having a fun fair in your own living room.
If you were king or queen, what would you do first?
I would use my privilege to abolish the monarchy so I could live like a normal person.
What was the last film you saw and what did you think of it?
A brilliant French film called The Intouchables about a man who takes care of a friend in a wheelchair. It's about good friends being honest with each other and pushing each other out of their comfort zones. That's what real friends do.
Davy Nys is EMEA and APAC vice president at Pentaho
