Mark Needham

Chairman, Widget UK

Career so far

I founded a technology distributor and grew it.

What was your first job and were you any good at it?

I was a software engineer. Alas, I was average.

Who was your top teenage pin-up?

Kim Carnes.

What is your favourite snack?

Cheesecake.

What has been your career high point to date?

"Call no man happy until he is dead" - Herodotus.

Has 2013 been good, bad or ugly?

A good year. Sales increasing, customer and vendor profiles continue to diversify.

What do you say when asked at a party what you do for a living?

My company distributes consumer electronics to retailers.

If I wasn't working in the channel I would probably be... a maths teacher.

What will be the channel's biggest challenge in 2014?

Continuing to justify its place in the value chain to both suppliers and customers.