Apay Obang-Oyway

What has been your personal highlight of 2020?

Seeing the acceleration of digital transformation driven by people's intense desire to maintain community and connection to those in their lives through this terrible pandemic. Technology has allowed us to build the new norm, while remaining connected in some degree.

Which three celebrities would you invite to a Zoom party?

Trevor Noah - a hilarious comedian with his finger on the political pulse.

Satya Nadella - one of the people I admire the most in tech today. Drives a values-based and human-centred design to artificial intelligence.

Greta Thunberg - someone who is passionate about our future direction as a society that will affect her generation.

What has been your guiltiest lockdown pleasure?

Binge-watching on Netflix - Designated Survivor, Death in Paradise, Lucifer, Power, Korean films to name but a few.

Which tech figurehead has inspired you most this year, and why?

Elon Musk - a transformational tech leader who is pushing the boundaries of thought and reality in many industries such as transport, energy and space.

What piece of technology, or app, have you not been able to do without during the pandemic?

WhatsApp has been crucial in keeping me connected with family, friends, colleagues and even some retailers too.

If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do?

I'd be Donald Trump and try to understand the logic behind some of his illogical actions. I'd bring some much-needed healing, then withdraw from the presidential race.

Do you miss face-to-face events?

Absolutely; there is something about human interaction and communicating face to face that even technology cannot replace.

How will COVID leave its mark on the way the channel operates long term?

Strategic foresight is going to become a must for all industries, including the IT channel. Consider the importance of strategic foresight for enterprises, especially within fast-changing environments. The channel will play a more significant role in helping organisations to build robust integrated structures, processes and systems that enable them to institutionalise strategic foresight as part of their digital transformation.