Chilver, Richard

A-LIST 2005

Company: 3Com.

Job title: UK and Eire country manager.

Place of birth: Norwich.

Year of birth: 1955.

Marital status: Married.

Career highlights: Building Unity/ Westcon from zero to a profitable £75m business over 10 years. Winning for two successive years the Reach for Excellence awards worldwide at Control Data during the early 1980s - the only person to have done so.

What do you love most about the IT industry? It's always changing, there's always something new to sell. You are never stuck in a time warp, as there are always new opportunities.

Which company do you most admire or respect in the IT business? Microsoft and IBM. The former has been at the top for so long. IBM just keeps bouncing back.
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? Security issues in converged networks.

What is the one thing working in the technology industry has taught you? Very few companies stay at the top forever. You have to work hard to stay in the game, especially in distribution. Never take success for granted.

Where do you think the channel will be in five years time? Distributors are going to be under constant pressure to show value, otherwise their margins will be reduced further and they will be acting purely as warehouses. There is a role for systems integrators to work with manufacturers on security. There will be specialised converged resellers. The squeeze on margins will be at the distribution level. Less reliance on distribution and more on the integrator channel, especially from a manufacturer viewpoint. But there is a need for distribution to add incremental value. I still don't see manufacturers going direct to the end user. There will always be a need for the channel.

Which do you think is the most influential vendor in the UK? 3Com. We are the emerging force.

Which vendor's technology do you think has changed the face of IT? IBM changed what we do today. We wouldn't be where we are today without the PC.

How do you unwind or spend your spare time? I unwind by playing golf and watching sport.

What is your favourite drink? Lager.

What is your favourite TV programme or film? Match of the Day.

Who is your favourite musician, band, artist or genre? Elton John.

What is your favourite book? Tiger Woods' How I Play Golf.

What career would you have pursued if you hadn't worked in the channel? I would have been in the purchasing or logistics space.

What has been your greatest business achievement? Unity/ Westcon. I spent over half my business life there. We went from being a general distributor to being a very specialist house

What is your personal ambition? To help lead 3Com back to its former glories.