Chris Dunning
Chief executive & founder, TechQuarters
What was your dream career as a child?
A professional cyclist or swimmer.
What has been your personal highlight of 2019?
I have two - competing in my first Iron Man event and I won Cloud Visionary of the Year at the UK Cloud Awards!
Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?
Whoever at the International Football Association Board got VAR written into the laws of the game, as now we have to wait after every goal to see if it counts.
What two things (apart from family) would you grab if your house was on fire?
My golf clubs and my Zwift, as I need my sports gear to train and destress.
Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass?
That Brexit still isn't sorted!
What TV show have you binge watched this year?
Killing Eve - I had to find out what happened after the end of season one.
How has 2019 been from a business perspective?
Great! We've really taken advantage of flexible working opportunities and taken both our team and client list international.
What annoys you most about your commute?
I cycle into London a lot but also compete in triathlons, so I'd say all the other people slowing me down!
If you could witness one past event, what would it be?
Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile record in 1954 - I know it's been beaten many times over since then but would have been amazing at the time.
How do you explain the channel to people?
The channel is basically a group of organisations, where some create to software, hardware and cloud products and some sell and implement them directly to businesses who need them.
What have been your favourite and least favourite partner conference destinations?
Vegas as it's such a unique place and I got the chance to do a Grand Canyon rafting trip after, then fly to Peru and trek Machu Picchu. Luckily, I didn't have to visit any bad ones in 2019.
What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?
The cloud is much more mainstream now, which affects the channel as IT providers need to really be unique and sharpen up their services to stay on top.
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