Julian Fielden
Career so far: I started as a chartered accountant, having trained with Ernst & Young. I entered the IT industry in 1997 and bought OCF plc with Steve Reynolds, sales director, in 2002.
If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do? I think it would have to be Ed Milliband. It must be the easiest thing in the world to only have to rubbish other people’s ideas without having any real responsibility to come up with a credible alternative.
What would you have as your last meal? Something poisonous.
What is the best corporate jolly you have ever been on/taken partners on? A few years ago we went to Majorca with a distribution partner. Everything about the trip was first class and the best part was that we could take our partners with us. Spouses tend to have to put up with a lot and it helped to show that they were appreciated and also that there are many other people who have spouses with demanding jobs that take them away from home a lot.
Do you see the cloud as a threat or an opportunity? It is quite obviously both, depending upon your ability to adapt to new business environments.
What do you see as the channel’s biggest challenge in 2011? I think that the public sector cuts, although entirely necessary, will result in lower demand levels and increased margin pressure – so just another normal year really!
What is the best part of your day? Every day is different.