Internal sales director, Avnet Technology Solutions, UK
What achievement are you most proud of?
It sounds cheesy but everything I have achieved has meant I have been able to give two great children the best start that I could give them, and I am constantly amazed at what they are achieving.
What has been the biggest change in the channel since you started working in it?
The speed of the change, especially how Internet of Everything (IoE) has moved the business conversation out of the datacentre and into the lives of everybody. Finally, I have a work-related dinner party subject that people are genuinely interested in. No more conversations pretending to be a pilot!
What three things could you not live without?
1. My iPad so I can watch replays of Aussie Rules on my app on Saturday morning. 2. A day at Twickenham because there is no bad day at Twickenham. 3. In this industry, a sense of humour.
What has been your most embarrassing moment so far?
Shanking a tee shot barely beyond the ladies' tees in front of Paul Casey and him offering to help me to find the ball.
What do your family think you do all day?
Judging by the amount of requests I get to fix laptops/iPhones/Wi-Fi/and other IT-related problems, they think I fix computers all day, until 9 at night!
Who is your ultimate celeb crush?
Easiest question so far: Michelle Pfeiffer! Scarface, The Fabulous Baker Boys and her Cat Woman in Batman Returns - enough said.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Guilty is not a word I easily relate too. However, if pushed, any John Belushi film.
What would be your first act if you were made Prime Minister?
My admiration for the NHS staff and their care and dedication would drive me to completely restructure the NHS, putting staff in investment decision-making roles and pay them at commercial rates. They, and we, deserve it.
Has 2015 been a good, bad or ugly year?
A tremendous year for Avnet in which we have had strong growth in our strategic areas. We had the foresight to invest in business analytics, security and channel services and transformed our business and teams, all at the same time.
If you didn't work in the IT channel, what would you do?
Travel the world till I dropped and then settle on a remote beach with an Eski full of beers and a paint sprayer offering $5 all-over sunscreen to bathers.
What major issues will the channel face in 2016?
Relevance. IoE is introducing a whole new community of innovators to IT who we don't even know but who will determine the future of IT consumption. We need to determine their needs and evolve our businesses to cater for these needs at a pace even faster than that to which we are accustomed.
