Director of strategy, Northamber
What was your dream career as a child?
I thought I wanted to be a vet until I realised I hate needles and blood, and that the job wasn't just playing with dogs.
What has been your personal highlight of 2019?
I got married in 2018, so 2019 has been about enjoying family time without discussions about wedding planning.
Which famous person deserves a (gentle) slap?
Who wouldn't want to slap Piers Morgan?
What two things (apart from family) would you grab if your house was on fire?
My BlackBerry and my Diet Coke.
Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass?
I predicted I wouldn't win the Lottery and I haven't.
What TV show have you binge watched this year?
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is a guilty pleasure.
How has 2019 been from a business perspective?
Northamber continues to make good progress with our strategy of value-add distribution for a focused portfolio of development brands in key technologies (AV, infrastructure solutions and document management).
What annoys you most about your commute?
Driving daily from London to our office in Surrey, it's London traffic - always London traffic.
If you could witness one past event, what would it be?
England winning the World Cup final in 1966.
How do you explain the channel to people?
The channel is designed to allow companies to do what they are best at. Manufacturers develop the best technology they can, value-added distributors provide flexibility and scalability to support and drive partner growth and systems integrators leverage their key end-user relationships and technology knowledge to integrate. It's all parts of the same machine working in harmony, most of the time.
What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?
A skills gap in the entry-level jobs and the difficulties around recruitment.
