Tom Kelly

What was your dream career as a child?

Airline pilot but my eyesight was not 20/20, which was then a pre-requisite.

What has been your personal highlight of 2019?

Seeing the smaller cloud ‘born' partners thrive and be clever.

Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?

It has to be Mark Zuckerberg for his total arrogance and self belief, which is unwarranted.

What two things (apart from family) would you grab if your house was on fire? My iPad and the keys to the McClaren!

Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass? I didn't make any in this uncertain world.

What TV show have you binge watched this year?

Killing Eve, Confession and Succession. All brilliant and in this order.

How has 2019 been from a business perspective? Business continues to thrive but agility and forward-looking insights are key to ongoing success - never be complacent.

What annoys you most about your commute?

Late trains and no apologies!

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

The one that never happened: Hitler signing a surrender document.

How do you explain the channel to people?

Ha ha! We are the GTM for the OEM! Any wiser now?

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

Boston is a great go-to place as it is small yet has the buzz of the US and Europe, whereas Hawaii is a long, long way away.

What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?

The OEMs must begin to take apart their partner channels and unconstrain them from the chains that they have put in place over the years, with minimum requirements for compliance.