David Cusworth

Owner/managing director, Firstnet Solutions

What is your greatest career move to date?

Starting up my own business.

What is top of your bucket list?

To take my family to Disney World.

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

The commoditisation of services, for example connectivity. I think this is driving the industry into becoming more consumer like.

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

The current price increases that we have seen from some of the larger vendors has all been around a panic and ‘what if'. I firmly believe as time progresses people will understand more about what it means so the hype will eventually simmer down and it will be business as usual.

What is your least favourite task during the working day?

Taking my turn at making coffees.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

I would be a bull, as I think it best represents my personality. My wife would say because at home I can be ‘like a bull in a china shop', but I would like to think it's more about what a bull represents: stability, strength, stamina, confidence and determination.

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

Take my family on a long holiday; look after my parents; invest in/purchase more companies for Firstnet; put back into the community and ideally get every homeless person in the UK off the streets.

What is your worst habit?

Working late and diary management. How has 2016 been for you? It's been
a hard year mainly due to the speed of growth. This year we are aiming for a 200 per cent increase on 2015.

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

A Formula 1 racing driver. What major issues will the channel face in 2017? With some key smaller VARs being bought by the bigger companies, there is a risk of good IT companies not being around to compete with and provide the focus for the SME market.