Simon Harbridge

Chief executive, Stone Group

What achievement are you most proud of?

First and foremost I have raised two wonderful children, who are both doing well at university. From a professional perspective it has to be building an excellent and motivated team at Stone Group who are really beginning to transform the business.

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

The pace of change in the channel is always accelerating so whatever the changes are, they just get faster and faster.

What three things could you not live without?

1. My mobile device - I love that I am connected wherever I go, plus I would get lost without it. 2. As a keen golfer, my golf clubs are pretty important to me, along with 3. A great bottle of red wine - although maybe not at the same time!

What has been your most embarrassing moment so far?

There have been many embarrassing moments along the way, particularly early on. However - and this is certainly true when you are starting your career - if you are not putting yourself out there then you are not pushing yourself hard enough.

What do your family think you do all day?

They think I sit in meetings all day long.

Who is your ultimate celeb crush?

Myleene Klass.

What is your guilty pleasure?

A nice cup of tea and the newspapers on a Sunday morning.

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

Reducing the level of public expenditure would be my first act and I would start at the top by reducing the number of MPs from 626 to about 350; then I would carry that down through every organisation in the country.

Has 2015 been a good, bad or ugly year?

It's been a great year. Four years ago we completely re-evaluated our strategy to transform from a hardware focused IT company to dedicate ourselves to the provision of services. 2015 was the year this transformation matured and became embedded and we are really excited about continuing this journey into 2016. If you didn't work in the IT channel, what would you do? I would play golf all day.

What major issues will the channel face in 2016?

The channel will have to continue to support and educate customers on changing technologies, and how that impacts different ways of working. Technology was meant to make us more efficient, but where has all that free time gone that we were meant to have because we are more efficient? Working practices have not really changed since the 19th century; we have introduced technology, but have not let technology revolutionalise the way we work.