Keefe, Ann

A-List 2006

Job title: Sales director UK and Ireland.

Company: Kingston Technology Europe.

Year of birth: 1962.

Place of birth: Watford, Herts.

Career outline: I am celebrating 10 years at Kingston Technology this year. I have been the sales director for UK and Ireland for six years. Before joining Kingston I had a sales roles at Datrontech, AST and Compaq.

What motivates you every morning to get up and work in the channel? My mortgage(s), my desire to collect more shoes and handbags, my need for an expensive caribbean holiday every winter and, of course, all the lovely people that I meet in the course of my job every day.

What has been the most over-hyped technology in the past five years? My in-car GPS system. It’s very clever, but you just can’t rely on it to take the quickest route or not to get you totally lost. Show me a person that no longer has a map in their car. There isn’t one.

What will be the most underrated technology in the next five years? USB flash drive technology.

Which technology would you most like to have invented? Microsoft Windows.

Do you have any regrets from your time in the industry? I don’t have any regrets, but if I could change something it would be the contents of my share portfolio, some of which were recommended to me by certain ‘friends’ in the industry.

If you could swap places with anyone in the industry, who would it be? I quite like being me, so I wouldn’t choose to swap places with anyone.

What is the biggest hurdle you have faced in your career? There have been many hurdles, but once faced, they are no longer a hurdle and next time a similar problem occurs it is less of an issue.

What is the biggest success of your career? Still having one after more than 20 years in the industry.

What piece of technology could you not live without? For a technophobe, I have quite a long list: mobile phone, BlackBerry, Kingston DataTraveler USB flash drive(s), digital camera, broadband, Tivo, Sky Plus and four PCs.

What would be your advice to anyone starting a career in IT? Work hard, stay focused and take advantage of every opportunity.

What is your favorite computer game? Tetris.

What would you like for Christmas if you could have anything? Enough money to buy my dream house in the village I live in plus a nice holiday home in Barbados. And a new Mercedes M Class in black.

What is your favorite karaoke song? I don’t sing in public, or in private for that matter.

What would be the title of your autobiography? I definitely wouldn’t be writing one so I don’t need a title.

Do you have any phobias? Yes.

How many beers before you fall over? 10.

Number of staff you manage? 6.

What car do you drive? Mercedes C class coupe.

Number of air miles you have? More than 100,000.