Alex Tatham

Managing director, Westcoast
What was your dream career as a child?
Radio 1 DJ - I'm more Radio 4 these days!
What has been your personal highlight of 2019?
England winning the Cricket World Cup!
Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?
Neville Chamberlain before the Munich summit in 1938.
What two things (apart from family) would you grab if your house was on fire?
A portrait of my father and my top hat!
Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass?
That Westcoast would grow by the largest amount in its history (still a prediction but a safe one!).
What TV show have you binge watched this year?
Chernobyl - amazing mini-series and scarily true.
How has 2019 been from a business perspective?
Strong in so many areas of our business. Westcoast led on Brexit which, despite the uncertainty, has made no impact. Now with a new large warehouse due on stream by the end of this year, 2020 looks strong too.
What annoys you most about your commute?
The four-year roadworks scheduled to turn the M4 into a smart motorway. When it finishes, Heathrow starts. I will have retired before the M4 runs properly again!
If you could witness one past event, what would it be?
The Munich summit in 1938.
How do you explain the channel to people?
The most dynamic way that IT is delivered to the widest range of end-users.
What have been your favourite and least favourite partner conference destinations?
Venice answers both questions - it's a privilege just to be in such an amazing place but getting around is painful.
What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?
The unrelenting excellence of Westcoast - why buy anywhere else?
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
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
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
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
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
More news
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
Five resellers secure places on £150m Welsh IT framework
Contract covers IT hardware to larger customer organisations
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
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