Enterprise sales director, Arrow ECS UK
What was the worst job you have ever had?
That’s difficult to answer as I wouldn’t stay in a job I didn’t like and I have never had a job I didn’t like. When I was a student I sold double glazing door-to-door. I made lots of money but got rained on, so I didn’t like that much.
Which actor would you pick to play you in a movie of your life?
Lucille Ball or Whoopi Goldberg. Odd choices, I admit, but sensible when you think that anyone who played me would have to be able to talk really quickly.
What do you do as your party trick?
I have a favourite joke which involves me kneeling on the floor and pretending to talk to an ant. This always goes down well, not least because I normally wear high heels so seeing me get down on the floor is usually funnier than the joke.
What is your favourite chocolate bar?
I hate chocolate.
What has been the highlight of your career to date?
Selling the first-ever ePOS systems to a major high street retailer. Seeing the stores using the scanners so successfully was a real thrill.
Has 2014 been a good, bad or ugly year?
A good year. The channel always responds well to challenges by innovating and diversifying. I enjoy working with successful, truly creative channel partners and this year has been one of the best yet.
How would you explain the IT channel to a stranger without boring them to death?
A holistic partnership between vendors who create solutions and partners who sell solutions and distributors who provide the mechanisms to succeed.
Aside from the channel, my dream career would be… an inspector for the Michelin Restaurant Guide. Imagine having to eat all that lovely food for a living.
What major issues will the channel face in 2015?
The cloud continues to be the largest opportunity and also the largest issue. Customers are dictating the need for the IT industry to move to providing cloud solutions and are increasingly specifying what the cloud solutions should look like. The whole channel needs to be able to keep pace with their demands.
