Channel Awards 2024: Q&A with Nick Paul, chief executive officer at Cisilion

As a specialist managed service provider Cisilion finds itself on the Channel Awards nominees list again, we catch up with CEO Nick Paul on what the nomination and the awards themselves mean to them.

CRN: Why do you think events like the Channel Awards matter?

NP: They provide recognition both within the industry and for clients of the great work companies in the channel undertake. Receiving awards helps to highlight and build trust in the market's leading brands and provides independent recognition of companies that are going the extra mile and delivering beyond expectations.

CRN: What would winning this award mean to your company?

NP: Winning this award would be a proud moment for team Cisilion. It would highlight the great work and tireless effort being undertaken on a daily basis by everyone across the business to deliver exceptional services and solutions to our clients. It would further reinforce Cisilion as a trusted industry leader that is constantly evolving and striving to be a great place to work whilst delivering best-in-class services and solutions to our clients.

CRN: What would you say is your company’s proudest achievement over the past year?

NP: It's difficult to provide just one highlight when there's been so many. Over the past year we've undertaken a complete brand refresh, expanded our London presence and built a market-leading client experience center where we're able to showcase our latest technical offerings. In addition to this we've continued delivering against our growth strategy, outpacing the market generally and hiring some fantastic people that will help drive our growth and innovation over the coming years.

CRN: What have been the biggest challenges of 2024 so far and how have you overcome them?

NP: As we continue to grow some of the key challenges we face include, scaling our operations, attracting top talent fast enough and maintaining our company culture whilst ensuring we stay true to our core values of trust, agility, and excellence. There are many ways we're overcoming this, but a key example would be hiring experienced leaders and individuals that can help guide us through these growth challenges whilst at the same time looking after and harnessing the existing talent, we're fortunate to already have in the business.

CRN: How do you think the channel has changed over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

NP: I think the channel continues to evolve and change every year. This past year has seen lots of talk around A.I., about what it means for the channel and what opportunities it presents. In terms of longer term changes the channel needs to make, I think continuing to attract the best and brightest grads and apprentices is a challenge every industry has and something we can improve on by increasing the visibility of the fantastic opportunities people have within the channel.

CRN: What do you see as the main opportunities for the channel in the coming year? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

NP: Helping our clients understand the impact A.I. is going to have on their business and how they can ensure they're ready to embrace this new technology and use it to their advantage. To capitalise on this opportunity, we will continue investing in this area to ensure we have the highest levels of skills, knowledge and accreditations possible with our chosen vendors. This will enable us to be best placed to guide our clients on their A.I. journey.