Chairman, Ultima Business Solutions
What achievement are you most proud of?
Growing Ultima over 25 years from zero to £100m and 350 people (over a third of whom have been here for 10 years plus) with no outside investment, funding or debt.
What has been the biggest change in the channel since you started working in it?
Our competition has changed both in name and nature.
What three things could you not live without?
1. Ultima - a huge part of my life. 2. Cheltenham Festival - the best week of the year! 3. The gym - it keeps me fit, sharp(ish) and sane.
What has been your most embarrassing moment so far?
I have one every weekend when watching my daughter play lacrosse and son football! As they both constantly remind me!
What do your family think you do all day?
At the races, exercising in the gym or lunching with my good friend and racehorse trainer Alan King.
Who is your ultimate celeb crush?
Definitely the wife of Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street, Margot Robbie!
What is your guilty pleasure?
A few pints of Pride in my local, the Bull, then a curry next door at the Ivy.
What would be your first act if you were made Prime Minister?
Introduce more vocational training and life skills into the education system and reinstate the belief that you don't necessarily have to go to university to be successful.
Has 2015 been a good, bad or ugly year?
It's been a great year! We've grown by 20 per cent, acquired a business park in Reading, which will house Ultima's new 33,000sq ft HQ, moved into a fantastic new city office near Fenchurch Street station and have just recruited Scott Dodds (previously of Microsoft and VMware) as our new chief executive!
If you didn't work in the IT channel, what would you do?
Sell stuff, play golf, keep fit and watch horse racing.
What major issues will the channel face in 2016?
The cloud. I'll refer to our services director for further details.
