Managing director, NCI Technologies
Career so far I was in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy for 17 years before embarking on a career in IT, which to date has been another 17 years.
What was your first job and were you any good at it? I joined the Navy straight from school. While serving on my very first ship we won the Falklands War, so yes I would say I was.
Who was your top teenage pin-up? Olivia Newton-John.
My colleagues won't know this about me but... I'm a nice guy really.
What is your favourite snack? Crisps. I love them.
What has been your career high point to date? Winning the Microsoft Worldwide Partner awards in one category and being a finalist in another in the same year (2011). Having lunch with the billionaire Steve Ballmer on more than one occasion was pretty cool too. I have a fantastic company with great staff.
Has 2013 been good, bad or ugly? Indifferent. Workwise, we reduced overheads and increased contracts and look forward to 2014. Personally, I lost my canine companion who sadly passed away aged 17 but my fourth grandchild has just arrived and each and every one of them are very special to me.
What do you say when asked at a party what you do for a living? Quite simply, I run a computer company.
If I wasn't working in the channel I would probably be... concentrating on charitable work. I am involved in multiple charities. I am a Childline volunteer, have a intense interest in keeping children and adults safe on the internet and also work with charities including Shelterbox and Shelter for Humanity that provide immediate response to disasters around the world.
What will be the channel's biggest challenge in 2014? The focus of some vendors has moved away from working with SMB VARs and I see that as a channel disruption that will end up hurting those vendors in ways they least expect. The SMB VARs need to consider ways of combatting revenue loss by working smarter.
