Guy Hocking

Operations director, Utilize and Ignite Business Communications

What is your greatest career move to date?

Meeting my wife!

What is top of your bucket list?

Everest (although it is actually K2 but I won't bore you with why).

What has changed most since you started working in the channel?

Some would say the emergence of cloud computing has brought about the biggest change, but that would be inaccurate. We are still resellers putting together a portfolio of best-of-breed vendor products, services and a service wrap to deliver them to our clients. To that end, the actual model hasn't changed a great deal from reselling the traditional PC and server. What has changed is the consumer. The consumer has an increasing technical skillset and willingness to challenge working practise, which means we need to be experts in our field and more consultative than ever.

How do you think Brexit is going to affect the channel?

Let's look forwards rather than dwell on the risk and uncertainty that the vote has created. With positive glasses on, it will give the UK more flexibility in the global economy and will allow us all to be more competitive.

What is your least favourite task during the working day?

Anything that is a waste of time.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

A lion. Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless.

If you won the big one on EuroMillions, what would you do?

Continue working in an industry I am passionate about.

What is your worst habit?

Obsessive use of antibacterial hand gel (although I am sure my wife and work colleagues might say something different).

How has 2016 been for you?

Fantastic. We have achieved some great things this year as a business; making some strategic acquisitions to complement our product and service portfolio, along with exceeding our growth targets to name a few. I have also ticked off some big things personally. Dream, Goals, Plans, Action!

If you didn't work in the IT channel, what would be your dream career?

It's difficult to picture not working in IT. However, when I think of other things I am passionate about, being a full-time football dad would be top. I love watching my boys play football. Plus I am not sure my marriage would survive being a professional mountain climber!

What major issues will the channel face in 2017?

For the smaller business, cashflow may well be a challenge, especially with the transition to a more consultative and service-oriented sell. For other businesses, finding and retaining great talent will become increasingly difficult, leading to potential mediocrity and "average" service levels.