Loay Lawrence

Commercial and marketing director, Vohkus

Career so far I have been in distribution for many years and at Vohkus for the last seven. It was my best move ever.

If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be? The education minister. I have still got a bee in my bonnet about investment in the future as opposed to making it difficult to get a higher education. Let’s make it easier for those who want to develop, as opposed to costing it out of the market.

What will next year’s most overhyped industry buzzword be? Still in the number one position after three years, and looking to stay there is cloud, for a technology that has been used in different guises over the last 20 years; remember the first SMTP standard set in 1982 for email which is in the cloud, and Hotmail launching in 1996?

Has 2012 been a good, bad or ugly year? Good, after the paranoia of the late Noughties, businesses have now realised that technology helps reduce costs, and is not a strain on the business.

What would you have as your last meal? A large spread of Lebanese meze, a cuisine that has a variety of flavours and textures.

What keeps you awake at night? Children, although one is at university and one is about to go

What piece of technology could you not be without? My iPad gives me access to everything both work and social.

Have any of your predictions come true this year? Tough one, but yes and I'd love to share it – but I won’t.

What is the best partner/customer trip you have ever been on? The simple productive ones, that add value to the business, and that is as specific as I am going to get.

What do you see as the channel’s biggest challenge in 2013? Getting the vendors to look forward with a sales focus as opposed to analysing the previous quarter's results.