• Home
  • Reseller
  • Distributor
  • Vendor
  • Finance and M&A
  • People moves
  • Cloud
  • Technology and trends
  • Women in channel
  • Events
  • A-list
  • Top VARs
  • Printer Supplies
  • Women in Channel
  • CRN Essential
  • Newsletters
  • Sign in
  •  
      • Newsletters
      • Account details
      • Contact support
      • Sign out
     
     
    • Please contact your account administrator for more information on your access.

  • Follow us
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Newsletters
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • Register
  • CRN Essential
  • Events
    • Upcoming events
      event logo
      CRN Sales & Marketing Awards 2021

      The CRN Sales & Marketing Awards recognise and reward the achievements of those individuals and teams that are responsible for making the UK IT channel truly great.

      • Date: 08 Jul 2021
      View all events
  • Whitepapers
    • LATEST WHITEPAPERS
      What are the opportunities for the channel with the growth of AI?

      Encryption, privacy, & data protection: a balancing act

      This white paper examines the risk posed by encrypted threats; considers the business, privacy, and security implications of managing that risk; and presents constructive measures for balancing security needs with employee privacy rights. In the end, the best way for IT leadership to ensure the rights of the individual employee is to protect the organization from threats and attacks.

      Download
      How do MSPs really feel the channel will shape up by 2020?

      On borrowed time?

      Cybercrime has become a huge part of our economy and it is a topic that is getting more and more attention in the news media. The cybercriminal stories making headlines involve big companies such as British Airways and Marriott etc. However, smaller companies are just as susceptible to cyber- attacks. Often these attacks are much more damaging to smaller businesses, sometimes forcing them to shut down completely. One report from Verizon claims that 43% of email attacks target SMBs.

      Download
      Find whitepapers
      Search by title or subject area
      View all whitepapers
  • A-list
  • Top VARs
  • Printer Supplies
channelweb
channelweb
  • Home
  • Reseller
  • Distributor
  • Vendor
  • Finance and M&A
  • People moves
  • Cloud
  • Technology and trends
  • Women in channel
 
    • Newsletters
    • Account details
    • Contact support
    • Sign out
 
 
  • Please contact your account administrator for more information on your access.

  • People

Mark Smyth

Mark Smyth
  • CRN staff
  • 18 November 2019
  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  • LinkedIn  
  • Send to  
0 Comments

Chief operating officer, Apogee

What was your dream career as a child?

Related articles

  • 93 Probrand
  • 82 Technoworld
  • 40 Vohkus
  • 94 CSI

Stockbroker. I loved the excitement you saw in movies and thought, that's a fun way to earn lots of money!

What has been your personal highlight of 2019?

Joining Apogee as COO. I work with a great team and feel we are really making a difference. We are striving to continually improve our business and our accomplishments provide me with tremendous satisfaction.

Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?

Jeremy Corbyn. He's an absolute…

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

My favourite watch(es) - they're a passion - and my mobile phone.

Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass?

I predicted 2019 would be a year of continued consolidation in the channel and that trend has continued, especially among resellers.

I also predicted the mess that is Brexit would continue! We are fed up with the B-word and despite so many opportunities to conclude, it's still a mess and we won't really see the full impact until 2020.

What TV show have you binge watched this year?

Succession. It's so amusing with great cast and characters. I watch episodes again just to hear some of the lines!

How has 2019 been from a business perspective?

It's been a year of change, with a major focus on delivering great service and value to our clients with a drive for operational efficiency to remain competitive. We've won some great new clients and specifically in the public sector.

What annoys you most about your commute?

The M25! Oh, and drivers who sit in the middle lane.

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

The first man on the moon. It was such an incredible achievement, 50 years ago, yet we remain fascinated by this astronomical object.

How do you explain the channel to people?

There are vendors: they make the product, hardware. Distributors: they distribute the product, hardware; and resellers provide their products and services to end users.

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

My all-time favourite partner conference destination is London; there is so much choice and always options of fun things to combine with the event!

My least favourite is the West Midlands - the venues are often too large and soulless and it's hard to produce a great atmosphere.

What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?

Continued downward pressure on margins. Therefore, we must drive operational excellence and efficiency to maintain margins and look for new ways to drive efficiencies, specifically with service delivery.

  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  • LinkedIn  
  • Send to  
  • Topics
  • People
  • a-list 2020

More on People

VMware's Gelsinger takes top job at Intel

Virtualisation vendor's leader will return to old stomping ground when current CEO Bob Swan departs next month

  • People
  • 13 January 2021
9 channel stalwarts reveal their 2021 predictions

We asked a number of channel veterans to sum up what they believe this year has in store for the tech sector

  • People
  • 08 January 2021
New North CEO Williams open up on plans to scale through M&A and becoming the UK's 'de facto' IoT player

The channel stalwart opens up to CRN about M&A plans, heading the new entity and what attracted him to his new role

  • People
  • 05 January 2021
Five hiring trends that will shape the next 12 months

Recruitment guru Marc Sumner picks out the five key trends that hiring bosses should be aware of in the coming year

  • People
  • 21 December 2020
Wick Hill founder departs Nuvias and sets up STEM not-for-profit business

Ian Kilpatrick’s new venture is designed to encourage children into STEM subjects at an early age

  • People
  • 18 December 2020

More news

Why threat actors are targeting the channel
  • Security
Why threat actors are targeting the channel

The recent attack on Exclusive Networks is only the latest in a series which has seen cybersecurity vendors, distributors and MSPs suffer breaches to their systems. CRN asks why the channel is seeing itself become a popular target for cybercriminals

  • 15 January 2021
Five resellers secure places on £150m Welsh IT framework
  • Reseller
Five resellers secure places on £150m Welsh IT framework

Contract covers IT hardware to larger customer organisations

  • 15 January 2021
4 key challenges facing Gelsinger as Intel's new CEO
  • Vendor
4 key challenges facing Gelsinger as Intel's new CEO

The VMware boss is joining the chipmaker as it finds itself adrift and losing market share to rivals. CRN considers why he might be the best person to steer the company through its troubled waters

  • 14 January 2021
European IT channel on track for record breaking year in 2021, claims analyst
  • Reseller
European IT channel on track for record breaking year in 2021, claims analyst

Market analyst Context says European IT channel now on track to break first ever €100bn-revenue year in 2021, despite pandemic pressures

  • 14 January 2021
blog comments powered by Disqus
Back to Top

Most read

Industry Voice: How to get More Business Value for Customers with VMware Cloud on AWS
Industry Voice: How to get More Business Value for Customers with VMware Cloud on AWS
Eight resellers win spots on £5bn IT framework with East Midlands police
Eight resellers win spots on £5bn IT framework with East Midlands police
VMware's Gelsinger takes top job at Intel
VMware's Gelsinger takes top job at Intel
Which reseller featured in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work list this year?
Which reseller featured in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work list this year?
BT sets up new 'Digital' technology unit
BT sets up new 'Digital' technology unit
  • Contact
  • Marketing solutions
  • About Incisive Media
  • Terms & conditions
  • Policies
  • Careers
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

© Incisive Business Media (IP) Limited, Published by Incisive Business Media Limited, New London House, 172 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5QR, registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 09177174 & 09178013

Digital publisher of the year
Digital publisher of the year 2010, 2013, 2016 & 2017
Loading