Jon Atherton

Sales & marketing director, CI Distribution

What has been your personal highlight of 2021?

Working with my team to achieve some marvelous growth in the business was a real highlight with smart collaboration. I am hoping over the next year to focus on my wellbeing and building healthier routines.

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

One hardware figurehead who’s especially impressed me this year is Jensen Huang of NVIDIA. What stands out is how he is shaping not just chip performance, but the whole hardware ecosystem — from GPUs (with the Blackwell architecture) to compact AI supercomputers like Project DIGITS. He’s also driving advances in robotics and physical AI through simulation platforms and infrastructure improvements. For me, he represents the kind of leader who sees beyond incremental gains; he’s enabling next-generation hardware to meaningfully scale with AI, robotics, and real-world deployment.

What was your first job in the channel?

As a young cable engineer at Jentech, I soldered the cables that made it possible to install the very first electronic ticketing system in English football at Everton Football Club…. There was a lot of cable!

What’s your personal sustainability commitment for 2026?

I’m not going to lie. I do like my food, and I rarely use public transport or run anywhere! That said I am conscious that I should be doing more for the environment and reduce my carbon footprint.

What’s one hidden talent or skill your colleagues wouldn’t suspect you have?

I can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under two minutes.

What’s your advice for new graduates/apprentices in the channel, in three words?

Questions Welcome Always.