Harvey Smith

Career so far: I worked for a stockbrokers before taking a career break and travelling. I worked for a retailer in Australia running tender processes and then on my return to the UK I worked for Lucent Technologies before making the move to Hitachi.

If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do? It would have to be Brad Pitt. I think the reasons are obvious.

Cloud - friend or foe? Friend. It is many different things to many different people. The result of that is debate and discussion. Once we start to break through the FUD it will undoubtedly create business opportunities.

Has 2011 been as bad as everyone said it would be? We have had a good year so far; there is business out there to be won. However, you must be able to demonstrate the business case and the return. Customers are demanding you commit to that return and this is something I am pleased to say Hitachi is happy to do. As a result, we have seen our business as a whole develop and in particular, our channel business grow.

What would you have as your last meal? I love my food and wine so this is a very difficult question. If I was forced to name one meal, it would have to be a really good roast beef with all the trimmings and a good bottle of wine.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with? I could name a few of our target reseller heads I would like to be stuck in a lift with.

Have any of your predictions come true this year? I believed that VARs in order to survive would have to show significant value and be able to differentiate themselves. This year we have seen a number of VARs disappearing who couldn't truly demonstrate what they could offer. I can only see this trend continuing; it's survival of the fittest with those that don't make it either being subsumed or going under.

What do you see as the channel's biggest challenge in 2012? A downturn in the market brings pressure from customers, vendors and VARs. As times get tough, the danger is that vendors want more control and as a result VARs come under pressure. This is something that must be avoided as trust that is hard won can so very easily be lost.

What is the best part of your day? A cliché I know, but getting home to my wife and daughter after hopefully having managed to move some actions forward at work or resolved some issues. The sense of momentum is very important to me and it's the only way to make real progress. Challenge yourself, your team and your peers - how can we continue to improve?