Kelvin Kirby

CEO, Technology Associates

Tell us something most people won't know about you

I was the world's youngest owner of an Electron Microscope, when at age 17, I rescued it from the Royal Dental Hospital in London. My folks were a little put out as it took up a lot of room.

What has been your highlight of 2018 so far?

Expanding my public speaking with the opportunity to share some wisdom, knowledge and anecdotes from a 40-year career in industry. I was privileged to present the keynote speech at the Institute of Sales Management, and deliver a key presentation at the Project & Portfolio Summit in Berlin in May. I love being able to energise, engage and inspire others.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

If I was lucky, Daniel Craig; if I was unlucky, Matt Lucas.

Which tech firm (other than your own!) do you most admire?

I should say Microsoft, and there's no doubt that there is much to admire about Microsoft, but the company I most admire right now is Dell. Its customer service is second to none. Someone takes ownership of any issue you have right from the outset and you only ever deal with that same person from start to finish. A few other tech companies could learn a lot from the way Dell deals with customer service.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

The one I'm prepared to reveal here is that I like watching re-runs of the original Star Trek series. I watched Star Trek as a kid and loved it.

What is the most irritating tech buzzphrase of 2018?

‘There's no "I" in "team"', or from my US colleagues, ‘drinking the Kool-Aid'. Very annoying!

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

Order a very stiff drink.

What's the biggest untapped opportunity facing the channel?

I don't think we have truly seen VDI make an impact yet. It has been around for a while but I think it might really take off in 2019. The ability to dissociate your desktop from a specific device is very attractive to me.

I also think IoT will grow more dramatically in 2019. I fully expect to see major advances in Quantum computing having a huge impact in the next couple of years.

What is your most treasured possession?

A Patek Philippe Grand Complications Tourbillon watch. I love watches and have acquired many as investments over the years.

But don't ask me how I came by the Patek Philippe watch - that's another story entirely.

What do your family think you do all day?

My daughter thinks I'm a spy because of all the travelling I do. I made the mistake of using points to upgrade flights to First Class once when I took her on a trip to New York. Now she thinks I travel First Class all the time.

Who has been your mentor in business?

Tony Robbins was the main reason I started my business 28 years ago. Since then I have been privileged to work with some very impressive people (Richard Branson, Deepak Chopra, Doug Richards, Verne Harnish, Romi Majahan, to name only a few).

But I have also worked with and learnt a lot from some of the business leaders in the Microsoft Channel in particular, some of whom I worked with on the IAMCP International Board.

 

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