Senior director of sales, CA Technologies UKI
Career so far
I have been government sales director followed by UK and Ireland country manager at Novell, and then sales general manager for UK and EMEA at SANpulse. I have been at CA Technologies since October 2012.
What was your first job and were you any good at it?
My first job was in car sales at my father's garage. My first job in IT was as a systems analyst and programmer at Proctor & Gamble. I did a sandwich degree in computer information systems design at Kingston Polytechnic and worked at P&G as part of my year in industry - I'd like to think this gave me an introduction to the demands of the business on IT department. I think if you get a good mixture of working for different companies and different working environments it stands you in good stead for the future.
My colleagues won't know this about me but... I was a junior chess champion and also a 1500m athletics Welsh Schoolboys Champion.
What is your favourite snack?
Probably a packet of crisps - easy to grab on the go.
What has been your career high point to date?
Restructuring the channel side of the business at Novell. The end result was that it enabled the company to move 80 per cent of its business to be partner driven. Prior to that, most of the business was done directly.
Has 2013 been good, bad or ugly?
It's been a good year and an exciting time for the channel as organisations have looked more towards a managed service offering to meet the demand for different consumption models.
What do you say when asked at a party what you do for a living?
I work in IT sales management.
If I wasn't working in the channel I would probably be... a chef - I really enjoy cooking.
What will be the channel's biggest challenge in 2014?
Being able to build a SaaS model that can offer continuous innovation to customers.
