What has been your personal highlight of 2020?
My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary during lockdown. Working and living alongside each other non-stop all these months at home fortunately just reinforced why we got married in the first place!
Which three celebrities would you invite to a Zoom party?
Eddie Izzard, James Corden and Graham Norton for the pure joy of being entertained.
What has been your guiltiest lockdown pleasure?
I have not had time to watch TV in almost 15 years but somehow fell into the habit of binging Christmas movies throughout July on some cable channel or other. Predictable and over-romanticised plots where everyone drinks only hot chocolate - who would have known they were just the thing to indulge in?
Which tech figurehead has inspired you most this year, and why?
Gwynne Shotwell, the female engineer who is president and chief executive of SpaceX, the private space transportation services company founded by Elon Musk.
She has successfully guided the company's operations and growth, culminating in the long-held goal to be the first private company to launch astronauts into space - which happened in May when NASA astronauts used SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule to take them to the International Space Station. She is also an active promoter of the importance of STEM skills and diversity within her industry.
What piece of technology, or app, have you not been able to do without during the pandemic?
Citrix Workspace, of course. Without it I would not have been able to access any data needed to do my job or help our clients from home all these months. My Ninja blender for everything from smoothies to margaritas would be a close second though.
If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do?
I would choose Jessica Ulrika Meir, the NASA astronaut, during her time on Expedition 61 where she participated in the first all-female spacewalk. To experience life on the International Space Station, be able to float in space and view our planet from above has been my life-long desire.
Do you miss face-to-face events?
Hugely. From customer meetings to networking events to just taking my team out to dinner - I miss the energy and creativity that comes from personal interaction.
How will COVID leave its mark on the way the channel operates long term?
COVID will accelerate the development of more service-led approaches by the channel. Customers will be looking for advice and assistance in optimising their businesses as they face blending virtual remote workers with onsite physical staff and addressing the newer security challenges that come from working in this hybrid fashion.
