Vaughan Shayler

Director, channel strategy, CompTIA

Career so far I have held a mixture of public and private sector positions mainly focussed around ICT director and business change/transformation roles, with a recent focus on standards and professionalism in the ICT channel

What was your first job and were you any good at it? I was a paper boy, and I was promoted within six months to a shop-based role, suggesting I was either really good or really bad.

Who was your top teenage pin-up? Can I say my music idol is Leonard Cohen and has been since I was 12?

My colleagues won't know this about me but... I have a Bart Simpson tattoo.

What is your favourite snack? Greek salad.

What has been your career high point to date? Negotiating the merger between Accredit UK and CompTIA.

Has 2013 been good, bad or ugly? Business wise - great. Working for CompTIA really is a pleasure.

What do you say when asked at a party what you do for a living? "No, tell me about you."

If I wasn't working in the channel I would probably be... contemplating going back to a job delivering newspapers.

What will be the channel's biggest challenge in 2014? Maintaining margin, maintaining relationships and maintaining its relevance while driving up standards and professionalism.