Rob Tomlin

Director, TD Azlan

What achievement are you most proud of?

My two children, Lara and Oliver, and winning CRN Storage Distributor of the Year last year.

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

Consolidation of distribution. So many names have been acquired since I started out in 1998 - Elite, Bytech, Magirus, Crane, Metrologie, CCD, ISI, ETC, SDG and so on. However, the net result is a larger ability for the smaller number of distributors to properly invest.

What three things could you not live without?

My iPhone, credit card and keys.

What has been your most embarrassing moment so far?

Every golf day I attend; I am dreadful!

What do your family think you do all day?

Sell laptops. A week rarely goes by when someone doesn't ask can I get them a good deal.

Who is your ultimate celeb crush?

Sara Yirrell.

What is your guilty pleasure? Football Manager or Autotrader app.

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

Reform the House of Lords.

Has 2015 been a good, bad or ugly year?

A good year on all fronts. Lots of travel, an Ashes win and a successful year for Tech Data.

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

Something to do with cars.

What major issues will the channel face in 2016?

We will see a rapid move over the next 12-18 months to customers wanting to consume their IT monthly. This is going to cause partners and vendors to have to adapt pretty quickly to avoid being casualties.