Frohlich, Shaun

A-LIST 2005

Company: Teksys.

Job title: Chairman.

Place of birth: London.

Year of birth: 1961.

Marital status: Divorced.

Career highlights: I started Bytes Technology Group in 1981, then Bytes Technology Recruitment in 1997. I sold both in 2000 and bought Teksys in 2002, Intersolve in 2002 and First Stop Computer Group in 2004. I'm still hard at it.

What do you love most about the IT industry? The press, the easy life, the fat profits and the ease with which one works with the vendors.

Which company do you most admire or respect in the IT business? Microsoft for its enduring ability to succeed.

Which individual do you most admire or respect in the IT business? In his day, James Wickes [one of the founders of Ideal Hardware]. Is he still in IT?

What is the biggest technology trend you anticipate in the next 12 months? Integration of mobility and email.

What is the one thing working in the technology industry has taught you? Never be certain of the future. What is good doesn't always sell and what sells isn't always good.

Where do you think the channel will be in five years time? Squashed flat? Hackneyed though it is, I believe it will be niche or consolidated into fewer, more professionally run larger players.

Who do you think is the most influential vendor in the UK? Microsoft (I would say that), but in justification look at the waves of technology it is set to release.

Who do you think is the most influential ISV in the UK? Possibly Sage, but I don't have a strong opinion.

Which vendor's technology do you think has changed the face of IT? Microsoft again: 1. 4 billion Windows users makes it a no-contest.

How do you unwind or spend your spare time? I spend time with my kids (not to unwind, with a 15-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy). I love my partner and I race a yacht off-shore.

Where is your favourite place to eat? On the rail of my yacht heading away from land, or in my new dining room with Emily my partner.

What is your favourite drink? Water (I like beer, fine wine and vodka too).

What is your favourite TV programme or film? I have no time for TV, like many, but Local Hero is my favourite film.

Who is your favourite musician, band, artist or genre? U2 and Santana are joint first.

What is your favourite book? Into Thin Air [by Jon Krakauer], and many others like it.

What career would you have pursued if you hadn't worked in the channel? Business in some other industry.

What has been your greatest business achievement? Bytes. It is still going strong and I have a lot of affinity and respect for my old colleagues still there (albeit as competitors).

What is your personal ambition? Sail the seven seas, see the seven summits, love Emily till I die and leave behind me two happy, well-equipped kids making the most of their lives.