Andy Barrow

Chief technology officer, ANS

What was your dream career as a child?

I actually wanted to be a pilot.

What has been your personal highlight of 2019?

Too many to name: seeing my son take his first steps to completing a brilliant acquisition and meeting more great people to work with!

Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?

Probably half the cast of TOWIE. You know why.

What two things (apart from family) would you grab if your house was on fire?

A bottle of gin and some tonic.

Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass?

That I wouldn't be able to cut out meat for longer than three days.

What TV show have you binge watched this year?

Narcos.

How has 2019 been from a business perspective?

Brilliant - we've achieved so much in the last three years to see our plan come to fruition; well done to the team for all their hard work. We are looking forward to what 2020 brings and have more exciting things to share over the coming months.

What annoys you most about your commute?

I live eight miles from our Manchester HQ and I could get to Spain quicker.

If you could witness one past event, what would it be?

I'd love to have been in the stadium when England won the World Cup in 1966.

How do you explain the channel to people?

A suite of businesses that design, deploy and manage IT solutions to provide great business outcomes.

What have been your favourite and least favourite partner conference destinations?

Vegas is always great (obviously), as is Barcelona. One year I was told the conference was in Rome - but it was an hour away on an industrial park. Rome was amazing, albeit a two-hour round trip; the industrial park not so much.

What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?

Modernisation of customer offerings and inserting partner innovation in the supply chain. Customer demands are changing - channel partners need to be built to change, not built to last and this involves a good look at processes and customer touchpoints. Our customers talk digital transformation, but many in the channel still have 20-year-old procedures and processes. The channel has to ‘create', not just ‘resell'.