Jon Sidwick

Director, Maverick Europe

What was the worst job you have ever had?

Making difficult decisions regarding employees. Sometimes for a variety of reasons we have had to move people on and it's never easy.

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

Someone good looking, 6ft tall with a full head of hair - my only chance in life!

What do you do as your party trick?

Staying sober - and I can never make it work.

What is your favourite chocolate bar?

Any chocolate in any bar.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

I can't think of a specific one as there are lots of good highlights, but I get the greatest kick out of meeting highly successful individuals who have been part of the Maverick journey.

Has 2014 been a good, bad or ugly year?

A good year due to a mixture of continued return on our EU development investment, shift in channel, increasing our value add and economic uplift.

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

As an AV/IT person it's easy when you talk about digital signage and cool display products, not to mention 3D and VC.

Aside from the channel, my dream career would be... the wine buyer for Old Trafford.

What major issues will the channel face in 2015?

I predict another strong year; the issue will be controlled growth with best use of cash. Turning down vanity deals in favour of sanity business.