Simon Payne

Managing director, Damovo

What was the worst job you have ever had?

Working in a financial insolvency practice for a month, as it is all about dismantling rather than building. It was soul destroying.

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

Jude Law. He would make me look smart, cool and humorous.

What do you do as your party trick?

I mix a great Mojito.

What is your favourite chocolate bar?

Cadbury's Twirl.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

I am incredibly proud of our Damovo Apprenticeship scheme. We have been awarded Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer by the National Apprenticeship Service for three consecutive years, and this week we were delighted to see our first wave of apprentices graduate from the programme.

Has 2014 been a good, bad or ugly year?

It has been good. We have had a huge interest in sales off the back of a strengthening economy.

How would you explain the IT channel to a stranger without boring them to death? A fast-moving industry that reinvents itself every 18 months, which keeps everyone on their toes and therefore is never boring.

Aside from the channel, my dream career would be... a fighter pilot.

What major issues will the channel face in 2015?

Damovo is continuing to evolve complex managed services offering and replacing traditional infrastructure business models and revenue streams with cloud utility offerings.