Yolanta Gill

Chief executive, European Electronique

What achievement are you most proud of?

My children.

What has been the biggest change in the channel since you started working in it?

The shift from hardware supply towards provision of a range of innovative services to support a new style of working. The move to cloud-based services and mobility are the most obvious and biggest shifts occurring.

What three things could you not live without?

My iPhone, my Fitbit and Peggy (my black Labrador).

What has been your most embarrassing moment so far?

It's too embarrassing to disclose so I'll pass on this one.

What do your family think you do all day?

Obviously they don't think I do a lot and they must think that whatever I do is exciting as my 14-year-old son recently commented that he would like my job!

Who is your ultimate celeb crush?

Clive Owen.

What is your guilty pleasure?

An early morning pain au chocolat.

What would be your first act if you were made Prime Minister?

To get rid of all the stuffy old men!

Has 2015 been a good, bad or ugly year?

2014 was a very challenging year which saw the buying pattern of our customers affected by the elections and the resulting uncertainty this brought. The transition period between the outgoing and incoming frameworks served only to exacerbate this. In comparison, 2015 has emerged much more stable, buoyant and altogether more positive.

If you didn't work in the IT channel, what would you do?

I'd be a lawyer.

What major issues will the channel face in 2016?

Technology is getting more complex and exciting, offering everyone opportunities to "do things in a different way" not previously imaginable, thus breaking barriers and disrupting the existing paradigms. The major issue for the channel will be to embrace the change and transform itself to provide services to accommodate this shift.