Adam Harris

Career so far: Worked my way through the ranks at Sainsbury's up to management level, learning everything from floristy to bakery, first aid to butchery. Set up and ran bear I.T, a very successful Midlands-based IT company. I'm a qualified teacher and lecturer in business and IT, and currently a guest lecturer in many Midlands' universities and I speak at many business events. I've won countless business awards at regional and national level, both in the IT field and in business, culminating in winning Young Director of the Year with the IOD.

If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do? I'd be a Formula 1 racing driver to be able to take yourself to within an inch of your life and those speeds must be amazing, the skill and expertise needed, coupled with the full workings of your team that you must 100 per cent rely on. I would of course go round the track for a while and live the life, coming back to normality with my feet firmly on the ground.

What would you have as your last meal? Asparagus wrapped in parma ham, sirloin steak with thick chunky homemade chips, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, followed by homemade pavlova, washed down with a bottle of rosé (can you tell I like my food?)

What is the best corporate jolly you have ever been on/taken partners on? It was with OKI printers about five years ago. A very extravagant event at a top London hotel. Cracking event.

Do you see the cloud as a threat or an opportunity? I think it's a massive opportunity. Resellers just need to understand how it is going to fit into their business model and find the right partner. Margin can be made, but ownership of customer is going to be important at the same time.

Have any of your predictions come true this year? Felt that Apple would come out with another big product and they did.

What do you see as the channel's biggest challenge in 2011? I think survival is going to be the key for the smaller resellers, with the cuts in public spending and also the revenue getting tighter. Aged debt is going to be a problem. It's time to breathe in and tighten the belts, and be on top of credit control and cash flow.
What is the best part of your day? Getting up. I love the fact that every day is different.