Managing Director UK & International, PCM Technology Solutions UK
What was your dream career as a child?
For those who know me well my dream job has always and continues to be that of setting up a riding for disabled facility. I have always wanted to work towards setting up the RDA facility since a young age and after working closely with Jane Hemmingway, one of the leaders of the society alongside with Princess Anne, the benefits of seeing people of all ages with varying levels of disabilities being able to embrace and lift their moods through being with horses - which are just in themselves majestic creatures - gave me real pleasure and a sense of happiness being able to help others.
What has been your personal highlight of 2019?
There have been many highlights for 2019; however, the biggest for me has to be finally marrying my husband on 10 August. It was an amazing event joined by our close friends and family and a day I will never forget.
Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?
I don't think there's ever a person I would want to slap, gentle or not.
What two things (apart from family) would you grab if your house was on fire?
The two items I would absolutely grab would have to be my cat and my dog. The house may be in flames but material objects have no meaning to me and often can be replaced. If however the cat and dog were both safe with my family then I would probably just grab the keys to my car so at least the family has shelter and can travel to family with ease away from the fire.
What TV show have you binge watched this year?
I generally don't have much time in the day to binge watch TV series; however, I have enjoyed both American Horror Story and Game of Thrones.
How has 2019 been from a business perspective?
From a business perspective, 2019 has been one of excitement as the organisation continued to grow sequentially and YoY by more than 50%. We have had a number of challenges but we have been able to overcome these with the excellent team we have in place who are forward thinking in all they do. 2019 also has seen a couple of positive surprises to include that of the joining of the PCM and Insight brands and it is certainly exciting times ahead as each organisation's strengths in both product delivery and digital transformation services are brought together.
What annoys you most about your commute?
My commute is relatively easy to our main head office as it's only 12 minutes away. However, if I am travelling to other sites like Glasgow for instance then I've learned to drive and not fly, given I always have delays with airlines no matter where I am going to.
If you could witness one past event, what would it be?
I would have liked to have witnessed the Stonewall Rebellion on 28 June 1969. These riots at the time, although classed as violent demonstrations against the police in NYC, did pave the way to the LGBTQ uprising and liberation movement resulting in LGBTQ rights, not just in the US but worldwide. As an active LGBTQ sponsor and openly gay leader, I am privileged and thankful to all those who acted in good faith for equality, which has resulted in much positive change over the years for humanity.
How do you explain the channel to people?
I would typically describe it as the place where technology is leading the way for our future. Although vague to many, I tend to have to describe the channel as the route to market for many vendors being able to sell their products to both consumers and businesses and that there are multiple layers that provide added value to enhance the offerings and technological capabilities of the vendors' products.
What have been your favourite and least favourite partner conference destinations?
I would say that Vegas seems to be the most common place for vendors to have their partner conference and while Vegas can be great, it does also get boring when there's repetition. The best places I have had conferences are the Bahamas, Portugal and Croatia, which are all beautiful but my favourite will always be Barcelona.
What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?
The ability to attract and hire top talent from across Europe and beyond into the UK will become more challenging as the UK adopts its Brexit plans. The market is still very ripe right now and we have certainly seen that from the growth announcements across the industry. However, this could be short-lived if organisations do not have the right talent within their organisations to help execute against the businesses strategy and growth plans.
