Justin Harling
Chief executive, CAE Technology Services
What was your dream career as a child?
Once I realised (very early) that I was never going to play for Liverpool at Anfield, I wanted to be a journalist working from Fleet Street, travelling the world writing life-changing news stories.
What has been your personal highlight of 2019?
Watching CAE flourish having completed an MBO at the back end of 2018, knowing all the passion and planning was absolutely worth it.
Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?
The obvious one is politicians, but you have only allowed a gentle slap opposed to what is really required to get them to take their actual responsibilities to the country seriously.
What two things (apart from family) would you grab if your house was on fire?
My phone and a fire extinguisher to try and put it out!
Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass?
I'm leaving those to my five-year-old daughter who is two from two in the Grand National, although I made amends in Hamilton at the launch of our Scottish Office.
What TV show have you binge watched this year?
I really enjoyed The Capture and can always re-watch The West Wing.
How has 2019 been from a business perspective?
A fantastic study in working on what is in our control and ignoring distractions in order to produce some great results. Our faith is definitely in our people, customers and partners instead of those people who do nothing but espouse opinion as fact.
What annoys you most about your commute?
Knowing it should be 35 minutes when it has lasted over an hour or hearing the fateful beginning to the rail announcers' sentence: "We apologise for…"
If you could witness one past event, what would it be?
To be at the moon landings in order to satisfy my own curiosity on whether they actually happened, and how.
How do you explain the channel to people?
We make sure that customers get what they really need from the wide variety of technology available to them.
What have been your favourite and least favourite partner conference destinations?
I think I am going to get mixed reactions from the Canadian Tourist Board here. My favourite has been Toronto but least favourite was Montreal.
What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?
The hardest decisions are prioritising investments and deciding what not to do, given the sheer scale of opportunity that exists at the moment.
More on People
'This crisis has given us the opportunity to build a better normal' - Tech Talent Charter CEO
Debbie Forster talks to CRN about expanding beyond gender diversity and how the pandemic has given companies tools to create more inclusive working environments
K3 on the hunt for new CEO
Adalsteinn Valdimarsson departs after five years with the cloud services provider
RM CFO takes on chief exec mantle
Neil Martin to take over form long-standing incumbent David Brooks
Kaspersky picks former Symantec exec as new UK boss
Cybersecurity vendor appoints Christopher Hurst as new general manager of UK and Ireland
North hires former Allvotec boss Comerford as new COO
Latest addition to the executive board previously worked with CEO Williams at Damovo
More news
London MSP Fifosys expands to Birmingham with Enforce Technology acquisition
Deal marks first acquisition outside of London for Datto partner Fifosys
'Offices will play huge part in what we do' - SysGroup CEO on expanding into Manchester and rolling out back-to-office scheme
CEO Adam Binks says there has been a 'paradigm shift' among its staff with most now wanting to return to the office
'We have skin in the game': Arcserve offers money-back guarantee for partners
Vendor’s EMEA partner boss tells CPI its data protection guarantee will help partners grow their margins amid spate of ransomware attacks
UK printer sales outperforming 2019 levels - Context
Channel analyst Context highlights 'house-bound students and workers' as growth drivers
Most read
