Career so far: I'm a sales and business executive with over 15 years'experience of building technology and service companies from startup to multimillion-dollar enterprises.
I'm also an industry spokesman and consultant, providing insight and advice to UK and US investment bodies as an appointed expert around the use of Linux and Open Source. I'm a member of Standard and Poor's panel of industry experts, and also a member of the Gerson Lehrman Group Council.
If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do? Linus Torvalds - to appreciate what it must feel like to be the pioneer in open source
What would you have as your last meal? Steak and chips with a nice bottle of red.
What is the best corporate jolly you have ever been on/taken partners on? Having taken the family to a conference in Florida, the conference was cancelled and left me with a week in a hotel all expenses paid.
Do you see the cloud as a threat or an opportunity? Whether it is private cloud or public cloud, I see cloud technology providing the key foundation for future IT applications, including mission- critical ones.
The growing Linux-based enterprise cloud solutions, such as those offered by Red Hat, will drive the expansion of the cloud for new users from developers through to enterprises.
Have any of your predictions come true this year? Yes, the exponential growth in the adoption of Linux and Open Source.
What do you see as the channel's biggest challenge in 2011? Ensuring that we, at LinuxIT, retain our world-class service, as we continue our rapid expansion at over 50 per cent per annum.
What is the best part of your day? The evening meal with
my family, followed by walking the dogs and inspecting my flock of sheep
