After his experience in the Brecon Beacons, Paul Milner will think twice if he is ever asked to go paragliding
What was your first job, and how did you get into IT?
I was a reinsurance broker at Lloyds of London in the late 1980s boom time. It was a great introduction to business and I learned a lot, not least when the Piper Alpha oil disaster struck, which changed the whole industry.
It taught me the essential lesson of having to adapt quickly, and is similar to the effect the shift from the traditional datacentre to virtualisation and the cloud is having on the IT industry.
Planes, trains or automobiles?
Definitely trains. As they say, "let the train take the strain", and use the journey to get things done.
What sport should be in the Olympics but isn't?
Golf is not in the London 2012 Games but it should be. The UK is the home of golf - plus I love playing and watching it.
What was the best business trip or junket you have ever experienced?
A few years ago, EMC took me to my first rugby union game. It was England versus France in the Six Nations at Twickenham - and we trounced France.
What is the best holiday you have ever had?
Taormina in Sicily, when the film festival was on. It was all about experiencing a great atmosphere in an amazing place by the Mediterranean, overlooking Mount Etna.
"I never…"
... say never. It's a well-worn maxim, but it means you are always open to opportunities.
What would be your superpower?
I love the idea of being able to fly and seeing the world from a different perspective.
Do you or have you read Channelweb.co.uk on your mobile phone or other handheld device?
I read Channelweb.co.uk on my BlackBerry when I'm on the move, but I also look at the print issue when I am in the office.
Do you use social media?
Yes, I use LinkedIn - mainly for business.
Will the economic recovery continue?
The economic recovery is unpredictable. However, in the UK we are naturally competitive and lead from the front. So I believe we have the right mindset to facilitate recovery.
What does the channel most need to learn to succeed this year?
As an industry we must better embrace change. With servers, networking and virtualisation technologies converging around the datacentre, there are significant business opportunities there for the taking. We just need to go after them.
Your closest near-death experience?
I thought I was going to die when I tried my hand at paragliding. After leaping off a 3,000-foot drop and eyeballing the Brecon Beacons, I thought "never again"!
Is IT well taught in schools?
Most infant and junior schools have IT suites. However, they are underfunded and too little time is spent using them. Secondary schools have more of a focus on IT and their pupils seem very IT-literate. I also believe Facebook, Twitter and the like have been well adopted, so the next generation of graduates should be innovative.
What has been your toughest moment at work and how did you resolve it?
In 1985 I moved from working as a reinsurance broker to working in the IT market and into sales for Ideal Hardware. This was at a time when the IT market was changing from mainframes to PCs; a fundamental shift like cloud computing and the introduction of tablet PCs today. It was a monumental learning curve being in a completely new job, as well as a new industry.
"In my dreams…"
… I'd like to score the winning goal for England in a World Cup Final.
Oranges or bananas?
I prefer oranges because at half-time they are always a welcome break.
Paul Milner is alliances manager at Magirus
