01732 759725 20 Joe Hemani, Duncan Forsyth (ex‑CEO) and Sunil Madhani (CEO), have instilled a culture that encourages everyone in the business to be entrepreneurial irrespective of their position. There are no ceilings (glass or otherwise) for an individual’s personal development. PITR: If you could change one thing about the last decade, what would it be? RM: Drinking a little too much at the PrintIT Awards last year! Mind you, it was after we won Hardware Distributor of the Year, so that’s a great excuse! PITR: What has been your proudest moment of the past 10 years? RM: My wife’s wedding speech! I am privileged to be part of her and my stepson’s life. Three is the magic number. PITR: Sum up the decade in three words. RM: Evolution. Consolidation. Acquisition. I’m taking four, always push for more so I’d also have to add fantastic! www.westcoast.co.uk PITR: What has been the high point of the decade? RM: There’s been too many to mention. But if I had to pick, I would say that it’s the people I’ve met over the years – many whom I now call friends. In the print industry, unlike many other sectors, we still very much driven by relationships and human interaction. Outside of that, being regarded as the leading UK distributor and being part of the team that are proud to serve our customers (both vendors and resellers) is another high point. PITR: And the low point? RM: It’s actually the same as the above answer - the people. But not in a bad way! Print is sometimes perceived as boring, so we’ve struggled to get new people into the industry, it has got a bit better with digital transformation, but I would love to see a more balanced and diverse leadership across the industry. PITR: What (or who) has had the greatest impact in the sector in the last 10 years? RM: The support that the leadership team at Westcoast have given its people to succeed. Our Chairman PrintIT Reseller (PITR): You’ve been working in the print and IT industry for more than ten years. What led you to enter the sector? Ryan Mitchell (RM): As with many readers, my tenure in our industry is pushing past 20 years and I’m proud to say that time has been spent mostly at Westcoast. If I’m being totally honest, it wasn’t by design. I started as an Account Manager and moved around until I was promoted to Print Sales Manager, from there I was able to understand just how diverse and complex the print sector is. PITR: What was your first job? RM: My first job was as Chief T-shirt folder at River Island! And I was really good at it, I actually won the regional internal competition, WTH! INTERVIEW A decade in print Ryan Mitchell, Print & AV Director, Westcoast, shares his experiences over the past decade, what he’s learned, and the highs and the lows of our unique and challenging industry Ryan Mitchell And the winner is... Photo: pixabay.com/ranjatm
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