Managing director, Softcat
Tell us something most people won't know about you
I used to play bass guitar in a punk rock band.
What has been your highlight of 2018 so far?
Professionally, taking Softcat into the small group of UK £1bn revenue companies. Privately, running my first ever half marathon and raising a large sum of money for Alzheimer's Research in memory of my mum.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
With a combination of Men Behaving Badly, pedantic/OCD tendencies (Doc Martin) but a soft, animal-loving streak, Martin Clunes. Note I didn't choose him for his good looks.
Which tech firm (other than your own!) do you most admire?
There are so many to choose from, but over the last 12 months or so I'd say Nutanix - really great technology in itself, while creating new ways of doing things very much in a consumer style (ease of use, simple payment models) but for corporate organisations. The way it should be!
What is the most irritating tech buzzphrase of 2018?
It still has to be ‘digital transformation'. So meaningless.
What would be your first act if you were made Prime Minister?
Make all citizens of voting age take an IQ test.
What's the biggest untapped opportunity facing the channel?
There's endless opportunity from a technology perspective but for me the opportunity is entrusting young, fresh and diverse talents to take our businesses forward. We all need to create space and delegate leadership opportunities at a much faster pace than we do today.
What is your most treasured possession?
My George Best autograph: "To Colin, best wishes from George." My first ever hero!
What do your family think you do all day?
Weirdly they think I lark about, go to nice restaurants a lot and generally take it easy. Sadly not much of this is true although we do have a lot of fun at Softcat.
Who has been your mentor in business?
No one mentor as such. I was fortunate to have three fantastic managers at Computacenter (including the current CEO Mike Norris), each of whom taught me different aspects of leadership that have served me well. And of course who could fail to learn loads from the Big Man himself, Martin Hellawell!
