James Ward

Managing director, Hammer

Career so far I have been in the industry for 22 years, working in a variety of roles at Hammer prior to becoming managing director nine years ago.

What was your first job and were you any good at it? I was a vending machine repair man. I used to refill a vending machine at an IT company, and I was intrigued by how the salesmen were pitching technology to their customers. One day I just walked up to the director and asked for a job, and that's how I got into the IT industry.

Who was your top teenage pin-up? I had posters of Prince on my wall when I was younger, alongside ones of Linda Lusardi.

My colleagues won't know this about me but... coupled with the managing director guise, I have a big heart.

What is your favourite snack? Sushi.

What has been your career high point to date? The management buyout of Hammer, nine years ago. Myself and four colleagues bought Hammer and we have since driven the company's strategic expansion, resulting in a 50 per cent increase in turnover since the takeover.

Has 2013 been good, bad or ugly? A good year. It's been Hammer's record year in terms of turnover and profit, and we have achieved year-on-year growth.

What do you say when asked at a party what you do for a living? An old acquaintance asked me this at a school reunion recently. He asked if I was a dustman, as he thought that was all I would ever amount to. I laughed and said: "No, I'm not a dustman, I'm the one that drives the dustcart."

If I wasn't working in the channel I would probably be... a dustman!

What will be the channel's biggest challenge in 2014? From Hammer's point of view, our challenge is to ensure that storage stays as prominent in the industry as it justifiably should, and dominant in its own right; not an afterthought of other solutions. Real storage expertise and proficiency will be of real benefit to the channel in the coming year.

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• A-list-2014