Career so far: I've worked for IBM for more than 20 years in a variety of roles from systems programmer to roles in client sales and marketing, European operations and business leadership. In the past 12 months, IBM extended my responsibilities to include total responsibility for all sales into the mid-market client sets, as our strategy is partner-led in this space. This has proved to be really exciting.
If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do? Chemmy Alcott - and I would fit in winning a few downhill races and a spot of modelling.
What would you have as your last meal? Sunday roast.
What is the best corporate jolly you have ever been on/taken partners on? I still stick with hosting our partners at Wimbledon, where IBM has been the IT solutions provider for over 20 years. It's a fabulous day - strawberries, Pimms, great company and the occasional game of tennis as a distraction.
Do you see the cloud as a threat or an opportunity? A fantastic opportunity for us and our BPs to reach new end users with a different delivery model for their IT needs and add incremental value to existing clients as they adopt these new technologies and delivery models.
Have any of your predictions come true this year? Yes, Chelsea won the Premier League.
What do you see as the channel's biggest challenge in 2011? The rapid rate of transformation from reseller to solution providers continues at an accelerated pace, and the rapid emergence of cloud computing models adds yet another dimension to the challenge facing us. Continuing to focus on the skills required to deliver significant value add to the end user, while also exploring the new commercial and delivery models associated with the cloud is critical for long-term success.
What is the best part of your day? Spending time with my son in the morning and then catching up again at the end of the day for a dose of real life and really good fun.
