Dow, Andy

A-LIST 2005

Company: Westcoast.

Job title: Director.

Place of birth: England.

Year of birth: 1960s.

Marital status: Married.

Career highlights: Having managed a number of resellers in the early 1980s I joined Hewlett-Packard's [HP] channel sales team in 1985 where during the next nine years I was a reseller, a retailer and a distribution account manager. After HP, I joined Computer 2000, and after a short diversion into the world of the internet, I arrived at Westcoast in 2000.

What do you love most about the IT industry? This industry never stands still. The dynamics change as fast as the product specs. We are still evolving as an industry and the ability to evolve with and adapt to the changes is what makes it fun.

Which company do you most admire or respect in the IT business? Any company that has weathered the changes of the past 20 years.

Which individual do you most admire or respect in the IT business? You have to admire Bill Gates for what he has achieved.

What is the biggest technology trend you anticipate in the next 12 months? Mobility. It will change the way everyone works.

What is the one thing working in the technology industry has taught you? Everything is possible.

Where do you think the channel will be in five years time? The relationships between the vendor, the distributor and the reseller will become closer as they are driven by the market to work more effectively. Who performs which role will change, but all three will still have a clear function.

Which do you think is the most influential vendor in the UK? Influence tends to come as part of leadership and size, so I guess that is Dell and HP.

Which do you think is the most influential ISV in the UK? Not sure. So many ISVs are setting new standards that it is hard to pinpoint just one.

Which vendor's technology do you think has changed the face of IT? In the printer market it has to be HP. The PC market is controlled by Intel and Microsoft. It is their technology that drives our industry.

How do you unwind or spend your spare time? Spending time with my wife and three kids or mountain biking around either Bracknel Forest or South Wales.

Where is your favourite place to eat? Normandy. Great seafood, great wine.

What is your favourite drink? I'm known to have enjoyed a glass of wine.

What is your favourite TV programme or film? I hardly watch any TV.

Who is your favourite musician, band, artist or genre? I enjoy a wide selection of music, but rock and blues are at the top of the list.

What is your favourite book? I recently read Dan Brown's books and enjoyed the intrigue.

What career would you have pursued if you hadn't worked in the channel? I always wanted to be a professional Moto X rider.

What has been your greatest business achievement? I'm still working on that one.

What is your personal ambition? A long and happy life.