Vice president, head of Technology Product Group including enterprise & cyber security, Fujitsu
What achievement are you most proud of?
Gaining promotion after 15 years with Fujitsu's services business to become head of Fujitsu's Technology Product Group which includes our rapidly growing Enterprise and Cyber Security Business and building upon three years of growth in my first year in charge. Personally and more importantly, my three children getting their personalities from their mother!
What has been the biggest change in the channel since you started working in it?
The growth in demand for converged systems - it's providing customers with an opportunity to look at how they provision and manage infrastructure differently. These highly scalable systems are offering a new level of flexibility which is allowing customers to react quickly and more efficiently to changing demands within their respective organisations.
What three things could you not live without?
1. My Fujitsu Stylistic Q704 Hybrid tablet - it keeps me connected with our customers and my team and means I am now completely paperless and confident as all my records are backed up with our award-winning Eternus storage products. 2. My Specialized tarmac road bike. 3. A glass of wine on a Friday night - it signals the end of the working week and the beginning of time with my family and friends.
What has been your most embarrassing moment so far?
Attending an Apprenticeship Awards Dinner and providing feedback to one of our young talents for constantly using his phone throughout the evening. It was only when I challenged him that he pointed out the reason Fujitsu was getting so much awareness on the screens that night (of which I was so proud) was due to his tweeting efforts.
What do your family think you do all day?
Talk!
Who is your ultimate celeb crush?
The only crush I've ever had in the last 30 years is the night I met the girl who 28 years ago became my wife, and later the mother of my three children.
What is your guilty pleasure?
The second and maybe third glass of wine on a Friday night, and without doubt as many holidays as I can take!
What would be your first act if you were made Prime Minister?
I would instruct all government departments to standardise on what IT products they buy, insisting all would need to be made in Europe! This would guarantee large cost savings and increase the security level of all communications.
Has 2015 been a good, bad or ugly year?
Definitely a good year. Our business is growing; we've seen great strength in the education sector particularly this year. And I'm surrounded by a fantastic team whose focus on our people and on our relationships with our partners and customers is delivering great success for the business.
If you didn't work in the IT channel, what would you do?
Take the bike out more!
What major issues will the channel face in 2016?
Changing traditional reseller business towards managed services provider models, continued adoption of cloud, spiralling security breaches diverting end user attention, and spend towards managing this challenge. There are opportunities though for even closer collaboration with our channel partners to ensure we are adding real value in each of our customer engagements where we are addressing these issues.
