Davis, Tony

A-LIST 2005

Company: Elcom Information Technology.

Job title: Managing director.

Place of birth: London.

Year of birth: 1953.

Marital status: Married.

Career highlights: I qualified as a chartered accountant in 1977 and, almost immediately, joined the British Market Research Bureau as financial controller. After three years there, I joined a specialist advertising agency as finance director and later moved on to a similar role in magazine marketing. A change of direction saw me enter the IT industry in 1984 in a sales consultant role, promoting and supporting CRM and accounting solutions, but in 1993 I returned to the world of finance as controller of Data Supplies, and was still in that position when it was acquired by the Elcom Group in February 1997. Since I joined Elcom, I have held the positions of group financial controller, then finance director in August 1999 and took on the additional role of managing director since leading the company's management buy-out (MBO) at the end of 2001.

What do you love most about the IT industry? It is always changing, and it has a real buzz to it. I have also met some really nice people.

Which company do you most admire or respect in the IT business? Microsoft.

Which individual do you most admire or respect in the IT business? Bill Gates.

What is the biggest technology trend you anticipate in the next 12 months? Email forensics.

What is the one thing working in the technology industry has taught you? Always carry a pencil and paper.

Where do you think the channel will be in five years time? Still trying to work out how to make a living on ever-decreasing margins.

Which do you think is the most influential vendor in the UK? Hewlett-Packard.

Which do you think is the most influential ISV in the UK? Microsoft.

Which vendor's technology do you think has changed the face of IT? Microsoft.

How do you unwind or spend your spare time? Play golf (badly) and spend time with family and friends.

Where is your favourite place to eat? The Chef Peking in Maidenhead.

What is your favourite drink? A really good bottle of red wine.

What is your favourite TV programme or film? Morse, or a Touch of Frost.

Who is your favourite musician, band, artist or genre? A bit of country music.

What is your favourite book? Anything by Dean Koontz.

What career would you have pursued if you hadn't worked in the channel? I would have stayed in advertising or marketing.

What has been your greatest business achievement? Leading our MBO in 2001.
What is your personal ambition? To make Elcom a business that's admired by its customers and its competitors.