Andrew Carr

What has been your personal highlight of 2020?

Our ability to soldier on during a challenging period on a personal and business level. It has been an extremely rewarding challenge to overcome and the way in which people have pulled together as a society has been incredible to be part of and witness and long may it continue.

Which three celebrities would you invite to a Zoom party?

Brian Clough, Louis Gerstner (former IBM CEO), Jack Nicklaus.

What has been your guiltiest lockdown pleasure?

I discovered Taytos Beef and Onion crisps.

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

Satya Nadella - the way Microsoft has executed during this challenging time has been excellent.

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

Clearly WiFi takes precedence for everything and I guess I am a Candy Crush and LinkedIn freak!

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

I am not sure I would want to be anyone else, but I wouldn't want to have been the prime minister during this period!

Do you miss face-to-face events?

Absolutely I do. As much as being in a physical meeting the social interaction is crucial to our well-being and health.

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

The channel will see sustained demand in new areas as our customers focus on new areas including consumption models, cybersecurity, remote collaboration and user experience. These tools have always been available but the adoption at pace has accelerated a number of transformation projects. In addition, the way the channel has worked together to keep the lights on has created a new method of co-opetition which will enhance our customers' experience.