Jill Henry
Career so far: In 20 years of IT sales, I've had the privilege of working for some of the best in the business all over the world: ICL in the UK; Oracle in Brussels; and Business Objects in Germany, the United States and the UK. A brief stint at Novell in the UK was followed by my current tenure at McAfee - the world's largest dedicated security technology company.
If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do? Nina Clarkin, the world's top-ranked female polo player. We have met on a number of occasions. She is British, incredibly impressive and hardworking - I can only dream of being as good a polo player.
What would you have as your last meal? I lived in Belgium for many years, so my last meal would have to be moules frites with a large cold Belgian beer.
What is the best corporate jolly you have ever been on/taken partners on? The France v England international rugby match at Parc Des Princes in Paris. Shamefully, I can't actually remember who won, but it was a fantastic day out.
Do you see the cloud as a threat or an opportunity? As businesses, governments and individuals continue to move their lives online, the opportunities for our industry are huge. The UK government has just identified cyberthreats as the second biggest national security concern. For IT professionals, the cloud is the next wave of opportunity across the board. In my current role, many of the conversations I have with McAfee partners are about how we secure the cloud, and I'm very enthusiastic and passionate about the opportunity this technology presents.
Have any of your predictions come true this year? Huge change was a given this year. Every economic cycle seems to stimulate a new technology cycle, leading to a lot of entrepreneurship and innovation in our industry. The cloud is a great example of this, with its links to cost saving and sustainability pushing it up the business agenda.
What do you see as the channel's biggest challenge in 2011? The transition to the cloud and the challenge of preparing practical steps to take the cloud to clients and vendors. We'll all need to be bold enough to be positioned for growth when the opportunity arises, and prudent enough not to be bleeding edge, especially in a very tight economic climate, where such a mistake could end up being very costly.
What is the best part of your day? The end of the day on Friday has to be the best part. I love my job, but driving with my husband and son to our home and horses in Cheshire, and looking forward to a relaxing weekend, has to be the high point.