Janette Martin
Managing director, V1, an Advanced Computer Software Group company
What was the worst job you have ever had? I used to wash dishes in what is still my favourite Italian restaurant, while I was studying at university. Being in an amazing Italian kitchen is torturous when you can't eat the food.
Which actor would you pick to play you in a movie of your life? Perhaps Sandra Bullock - as long as they brought some Hollywood glamour I wouldn't mind.
What do you do as your party trick? I'm known to sing a song or two... only after a couple of glasses though.
What is your favourite chocolate bar? A giant Toblerone that lives in the freezer. It lasts longer that way.
What has been the highlight of your career to date? Joining V1. Genuinely, I am very proud to lead such a fantastic team of passionate people. We have great products, great partners and an incredibly exciting few months and years ahead of us - we have so many plans and ideas. Our challenge is how we do it all.
Has 2014 been a good, bad or ugly year? 2014 has been a great year. My husband, two-year-old son and I relocated to the North West and we are loving it here. Also, V1 is having its most successful year yet. We now have more than 90 employees and have invested in more than 10 new roles this year. Our development team is delivering innovative and high-quality product releases, our professional services team has transformed over the past 12 months, and we have a sales team and a number of strong and growing partners that have helped us deliver more V1 software to more customers than ever before.
How would you explain the IT channel to a stranger without boring them to death? The channel is a network of business solution providers which take the time to get to know a business personally. Working with the customer and through our network, the channel offers and supplies the right products and solutions to help drive, run and grow a business. It's exciting being able to tailor the right solutions for customers and see how much value, efficiencies and cost savings they can bring to their business.
Aside from the channel, my dream career would be... performing in theatre in the West End or on Broadway. The most I ever did were school plays, but I definitely caught the thespian bug.
What major issues will the channel face in 2015? As more and more businesses become more automated, they will continue to improve competitiveness, reduce costs and update and gain efficiencies in all things back office. This continues to put pressure on vendors and channel partners to provide complex integrations, yet in a simple way and with a cost of ownership that gains RoI quickly.
These challenges aren't new, but as the market and technology evolves and is ever more embraced, software providers like V1 have to provide an eco-system that integrates and works together.