Phil Hambly never stops considering new possibilities of IT
What was your first job, and how did you get into IT?
Hotel kitchen dishwasher at 35p per hour. Paid for the fuel, tax, insurance on my Yamaha FS1E sports moped. Never had so much disposable income. They were glory days. Got into IT by volunteering for something really dumb -- done lots and enjoyed it all.
Planes, trains or automobiles?
Hmm. Think about leaves on the track, ash clouds, road works, and speed cameras. Ideally, none.
Which fictional TV character is borrowing ideas from your life?
That shepherd off the Specsavers ad who gives his dog a haircut by mistake. I'm there now! Fuzzy screen and perpetual headache.
What could prompt you to give it all up and join the revolution?
On Mondays pretty much anything. Forecast improving by Tuesday!
What is your favourite joke?
Anything to do with bankers, accountants or financial advisors. That ‘helpful bank' advert and ‘for the journey' drivel drives me absolutely bonkers. Sorry, did that answer the question?
"In my dreams ..."
... decency and integrity would have value. And every Wednesday afternoon would be a sports half-day. And bankers would pay 90 per cent tax. And ‘hoodies' would go straight to jail. And 4WDs could only use fields. And...
If you had a week to live, what would you do?
Tempting fate this, but an easy one. Sunshine and tuna fishing off Cape Town in the good boat Obsession.
"I never..."
...stop thinking about work. A blessing and a curse. I also never get home from a boys' night out when I promise my sparky (but lovely) wife. A blessing and a bashing.
What would your superpower be?
Working mums and knackered dads are all superheroes if not superpowers. Add 10 years, perhaps a little more, and the Green movement is going super-size too.
If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and stuck in a blender, how would you get out?
Weird. Had a dream about that very scenario only recently. Didn't work out well at all.
Print or online news?
Head says online. My heart says print -- old habits die hard.
Will the economic recovery continue?
I think it's going to be tough for a good while yet. But every ‘cloud' has a silver lining. The good will differentiate themselves and move ahead.
What does the channel most need to learn this year?
Sell what your customer needs, not what you have always sold. Acknowledge and embrace the new ‘normal'. Build good partnerships and work at them.
Your closest near-death experience?
Rwanda, in the military a lifetime ago. UN blue beret, bag of toffees and catapult versus AK-47 and 14-year-old on drugs. Best of friends now.
Is IT well taught in schools?
Tricky question. My son hacked into his school network at 12, built an ecommerce website at 15, and has a room that looks like the flight deck of the starship Enterprise. Taught well?
Phil Hambly is group marketing director at InTechnology
