CRN Channel Awards - Finalist Q&A with John Hayes-Warren, CEO at Intec Micros

John Hayes-Warren talks being a finalist at this year's CRN Channel Awards

Why do you think awards like the Channel Awards matter?

The Channel Awards (CRN) are the vital benchmark for excellence across our industry. For us, they recognise the transformation of a 23-year-old distributor that has sharpened its operational efficiency and built a new identity. While we’ve improved the fundamentals of distribution, we’ve also invested in value-added services in networking and intelligent connectivity, and adopted AI in key areas to help our teams strengthen customer relationships. Recognition like this matters not just to us, but also to Birmingham and our wider region, where innovation and investment are central to long-term growth.

What would winning this award mean to your company?

Everything! Winning would validate our rebirth as a distributor with laser-sharp vision: one that has made traditional distribution more efficient while embracing innovation in service-led expertise, AI adoption, and leadership renewal. We’ve invested in reshaping our management teams, bringing in fresh talent and greater diversity, ensuring our leadership reflects both the market we serve and the future we are building. This award would not only celebrate a business turnaround, but also the people driving it – giving us further momentum to attract investment and deliver lasting value to our channel partners.

What would you say is your company’s proudest achievement over the past year?

Beyond our operational and service transformation, we are proud of the way we’ve reshaped our teams – strengthening the calibre, capability and diversity of our management. This has been vital in accelerating change and ensuring our rebirth is sustainable. Fresh leadership perspectives, combined with long-standing expertise, have allowed us to deliver sharper strategies, greater innovation, and closer alignment with the needs of our channel partners and their customers.

What have been the biggest challenges of 2025 so far, and how have you overcome them? How have your people helped with that?

Our challenge has been evolving at a rapid pace – improving efficiency in traditional distribution while expanding into networking and intelligent connectivity. We have overcome this by reshaping our team. By adding new talent and increasing diversity within our management ranks, we’ve brought in the energy, perspective and leadership needed to accelerate change. Coupled with AI adoption that frees our teams to focus on customer value, this renewed management strength has been crucial in helping us navigate challenges and emerge more resilient and profitable.

What have been the biggest challenges of 2025 so far, and how have you overcome them? How have your people helped with that?

Balancing the need to make distribution faster and more reliable with the demand for service-led innovation has been a real challenge. Our people have led the way, refining operations, building new capabilities in networking and intelligent connectivity, and embracing AI tools that free them up to strengthen customer relationships. By combining efficiency with innovation, we’ve proven we can evolve without losing sight of what matters most: helping our channel partners deliver excellence to their own customers and accelerating time to value..

What do you see as the main opportunities for the industry in the coming year? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

The opportunity lies in delivering both efficiency and deeper customer value. As demand grows for faster and more reliable distribution, alongside consultative expertise in areas like networking and intelligent connectivity, the role of intelligent technologies, such as AI, becomes central.

We plan to capitalise by continuing to refine our traditional distribution, scaling our services, and leveraging AI to help our teams deliver richer, more responsive customer engagement. This dual focus – efficiency and innovation – defines our rebirth as a distributor with a laser-sharp vision for the future - Birmingham proud!