David Ellis

Director of strategy, Arrow ECS UK

What was the worst job you have ever had?

While I was studying Electronic Engineering, I worked for an electrical contractor during my holidays. Laying cables in pigsties certainly ranks up there.

Which actor would you pick to play you in a movie of your life?

Probably Christopher Eccleston. People used to say that I looked a bit like him and given he was able to fly a Tardis, I'm sure he would do a good job.

What do you do as your party trick?

Being able to get away with not having one?

What is your favourite chocolate bar?

A Burnt Toffee Green and Black's.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

I knew I had reached the pinnacle of my career when I got to collect an award from Mickey Mouse (it was a number of years ago when we won Check Point Distributor of the Year at a partner conference held at Disneyland Paris).

Has 2014 been a good, bad or ugly year?

It's been an exciting year after the acquisition of Computerlinks by Arrow ECS. The opportunities presented by being part of such a large company with its strong portfolio, skillset and customer base are huge.

How would you explain the IT channel to a stranger without boring them to death?

We buy things, then sell them and try our very best to make sure they work.

Aside from the channel, my dream career would be... definitely a professional sports person (either a footballer or golfer).

What major issues will the channel face in 2015?

Many in the channel are still struggling to adapt and move to offering OPEX and/or ‘pay as you go' based pricing models. Getting the right sales compensation in place is of course a key element of this.