Keeling, Phil

A-List 2006

Job title: Country manager, UK and Ireland.

Company: Fortinet.

Year of birth: 1973.

Place of birth: Portsmouth.

Career outline: I began working in IT at IBM in 1994. My first sales position was in networking distribution in 1996. I spent time working for various resellers before taking my first vendor role in Attachmate in 1999 as EMEA business development manager. I first ventured into the security market in 2002 with Finjan Software before taking the major accounts role with Fortinet in 2003.

What motivates you every morning to get up and work in the channel? Success. I am driven by the want to make Fortinet a truly successful player in the UK security market.

What has been the most over-hyped technology in the past five years? WAP technology was very over hyped.

What will be the most underrated technology in the next five years? Electric cars.

Which technology would you most like to have invented? The internet.

Do you have any regrets from your time in the industry? I regret being suckered into the dot com ‘boom and bust’ revolution and leaving the stability of an organisation such as Attachmate in favour of the bright lights and big salaries involved in dot.com.

If you could swap places with anyone in the industry, who would it be? I don’t think I would choose to swap places with anyone at the moment.

What is the biggest hurdle you have faced in your career? Probably getting back in the saddle after the dot com collapse in 2001.

What is the biggest success of your career? Probably being made UK country manager of Fortinet.

What piece of technology could you not live without? My satellite navigation. It’s so nice not to be driving around Wolverhampton with an AA printout in one hand and a queue of angry brummies in the rear-view mirror.

What would be your advice to anyone starting a career in IT? Always listen to people around you and never think you know it all. You are never too old (or young) to learn.

What is your favorite computer game? Tiger Woods PGA Golf.

What would you like for Christmas if you could have anything? A better golf swing.

What is your favorite karaoke song? Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, by Frankie Valli.

What would be the title of your autobiography? It’s Not Easy Being Me.

Do you have any phobias? Yes. Heights. I always have an urge to throw myself off tall buildings.

How many beers before you fall over? A lot.

Number of staff you manage? 10.

What is your golf handicap? 24.

What car do you drive? BMW 530.

Number of air miles you have? Don’t know.