Dave Stevinson

Chief executive, QBS Software

What was your dream career as a child?

When I was very small, I wanted to work as a combine harvester driver and by the time I was at secondary school I wanted to work as a stockbroker. Luckily neither ambition was realised.

What has been your personal highlight of 2019?

Completing phase two and three of our expansion of QBS into complementary geographies. The acquisitions in France (February) and Lithuania (July) were most pleasing.

Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?

Steve Smith, the Australian batsman. Despite his technique being unconventional and his constant fidgeting, he is very successful and proved very difficult for England to get him out.

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

In that scenario, I would rescue our pet dog and take my iPhone to call the fire brigade.

Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass?

Several. I did predict that the Brexit would have more twists and turns and would not be at all smooth, causing further embarrassment to our nation.

I successfully predicted that there would be a weakening of sterling against the dollar and euro - at the time of writing that is correct.

What TV show have you binge watched this year?

I do not watch much TV at all but have watched Ozark, which was most enjoyable.

How has 2019 been from a business perspective?

So far, it has been a good year. We operate in a tightly defined niche with a laser focus on enterprise software through our reseller network. We judge success by our ability to deliver on our publisher's ambitions, coupled with the quality of service we can deliver to our resellers. We have executed well on our vision.

What annoys you most about your commute?

I have a number of commutes depending on where I am staying and working. They all have their idiosyncrasies but, on reflection, the most frustrating element is the time taken on the commute.

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

Without a shadow of a doubt, it would be the Trojan War (1250BC). Did it really happen? What actually happened? Even if it didn't happen, it would just be simply fascinating to picture life in this ancient civilisation from more than 3,000 years ago.

How do you explain the channel to people?

The most efficient and beneficial way to work with a partner network to deliver successful business outcomes for enterprises and consumers.

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

My favourite destination was Monte Carlo, Monaco - a wonderful location, pleasant climate and comfortable hotels.

My least favourite was Disneyland in Orlando, US. What a bizarre choice of location. One of our partners is having an event at a beach resort in Sicily this October, which sounds most appealing.

What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?

2020 will be broadly similar to 2019: the global economy is slowing down, political uncertainty pre-Brexit will be replaced by political uncertainty post-Brexit.

The biggest challenge will be how we all work together and successfully execute in whatever environment that we face. I have no doubt that it will be another positive year.