'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
With the UK now officially in lockdown, large swathes of the UK channel are in self-isolation at home.
CRN (and sister publication Channel Partner Insight) continues to track the latest news and views on the COVID-19 crisis in its daily blog here.
In these bleak times, to help lighten the mood we asked some of the industry's top leaders to send us any fun snaps of their pets either helping or hindering their efforts as they transform their bedrooms into boardrooms.
Pet: Tulip
Owner: Paul Shannon, CEO, ANS
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
"She just keeps giving me the stink eye all the time, probably thinking ‘what is everyone doing here all day! Not in my routine this'."
Bonus comment: "I did Joe Wicks this morning with the kids, which I never normally do (as in exercise)!"
Article continues on following page
'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
Pet: Fred (50-kilo Rhodesian Ridgeback)
Owner: Andy Wright, commercial director, XMA
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
"Fred sleeps all day, unless:
- You get yourself something to eat.. in which case he comes and drools on you until you share
or
- He wants feeding in which case he pushes your laptop off your lap or desk to make his point that it's time to feed him.
Article continues on following page
'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
Pet: Jumble (Irish Wheaten Terrier)
Owner: Colin Brown, managing director, Softcat
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
"Generally ‘helps' by handily letting me know there's someone at the door (postman/delivery person/neighbour) just at the crucial point of a conference call by barking noisily! Don't they all?"
Bonus question: Can anyone spot which market-leading channel news site Colin is reading?
Article continues on following page
'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
Pet: Misty
Owner: Chris Bunch, general manager AWS, Cloudreach
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
"He was taking part in a video call with me here, which has been a surprisingly common occurrence! One can only assume that cloud computing is a secret passion of his."
Article continues on following page
'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
Pet: Bear (Cockapoo: ie American Cocker Spaniel and Poodle cross)
Owner: Dave Stevinson, CEO QBS Software
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
"He does not really offer a lot of help other than he has designated himself responsible for goods received (Typically Net a Porter deliveries as opposed to Goods for Resell)
"In terms of hindrance the usual stuff - wants to play, always up for a walk and come 5.30pm he is pestering for his daily meal."
Article continues on following page
'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
Pet: Kingston (Golden Labrador)
Owner: Howard Hall, group managing director, DTP
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
"It's been six weeks since I took Kingston on as a six-month old rescue, and he is already keeping his eye on the news for me while I am working in the kitchen office
"I have a sneaking feeling the dog hopes I pick up an injury exercising as he is knackered from so many more walks than he gets when he comes to work with me each day."
Article continues on following page
'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
Pets: Ziggy and Angus
Owner: Rufus Grig, chief strategy officer, Maintel
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
These photos were taken in my kitchen rather than my office, where they tend not to venture. I think they probably just like being annoying, but in reality it's probably the warmth of the laptop that attracts them.
Article continues on following page
'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
Pet: None, but an untrimmed beard
Owner: Marc Sumner, co-founder, Sumner Robertson
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
"I haven't got any pets but I can't get out to cut my beard so this is my Tyson Fury (Gypsy King) impression!"
'My cat keeps giving me the stink eye': Self-isolating channel bosses and their pets
Leaders from Softcat, XMA, ANS, DTP and Cloudreach reveal how their cats or dogs are helping (or hindering) them as they turn their bedrooms into boardrooms
Pet: Trev (seven-month-old Cocker Spaniel)
Owner: Helen Slinger, director of BT's product supply business
Help or hindrance during self-isolation:
"Being home finally gave me the time needed to settle in a dog. Trev arrived Saturday.
"Getting to spend time with the two of them is the silver lining to this horrible situation."