Top VARs 2018 Q&A: Donavan Hutchinson, PCM

PCM's UK managing director opens up on its first year's trading on this side of the Atlantic and his aspirations of being a top 10 player

This Q&A originally appeared in CRN Top VARs 2018.

PCM set up shop in the UK in May 2017. How did the first year of trading go?

Although we launched in May last year we didn't start physically trading until much later in the year, when our systems were implemented. Our first 12 months of trading have been very exciting and challenging as well, but in a positive manner. We've learned a lot about the UK industry and have so far been relatively successful in gaining market share.

How many staff do you now have?

We have just over 200 people in the UK, but we have more joining us. We also have about 40 people in Manila supporting the UK.

What has been the most challenging aspect of getting a UK business off the ground from scratch?

Like any start-up, it's always going to be tough. One of the most difficult challenges we face is being the unknown within the marketplace. But we have now defined who we are as an organisation and have been able to create a robust offering spanning six pillars: product and volume business; cloud; networking; security; datacentre; and the digital workplace.

What are your ambitions for PCM UK?

We certainly have high aspirations, and want to be part of the top 10 [of CRN Top VARs]. We want to grow rapidly but how long that will take, who knows? Our aspiration is to take market share and be chosen by customers to be their digital transformation partner of choice. There is a lot of untapped opportunity for us, particularly around the public sector as we've not been on the frameworks.

Which of your peers do you most respect, and for what reason?

I have a lot of respect for Softcat as they've grown organically and their market cap is exceptional. I also have a lot of respect for other organisations that have come to the UK and put a stake in the ground and achieved exponential growth, such as CDW.