01732 759725 20 a thing of the past, but it is directly shaping WPP today and the removal of print drivers. Therefore, it’s driving the biggest change in the print stack for a long time. Technology will always push all of us to stay ahead of the game, and that’s a good thing – it would be boring if things didn’t change. PITR: If you could change one thing about the last decade, what would it be? SB: I’m assuming that saying I’d like a rich billionaire to buy Walsall FC is not an acceptable answer for this question, so, that aside… as much as I loved my 12/13 years spent working for OEMs, I’ve loved working on the ISV side of the industry, and I wish I’d made that move earlier. I relish being part of a product‑thinking organisation, being able to have product-centric conversations with resellers and end‑users, being able to shape a product and the direction of those products. So yeah, I wish I’d got into software sooner, I guess. PITR: What has been your proudest moment of the past 10 years? SB: I’ve had many proud moments, both personally and also often as part of a bigger team. For example, being part of the PaperCut family as we achieved No 1 market share was certainly a very proud moment. That was great for the entire company and all of our engineering division who do so much work behind the scenes without always getting to see the appreciation from the market. On a personal level, being awarded PS Team Member of the Year when I was at Nuance, was also a proud moment, as that was a global award and the recognition meant a lot to me at the time. PITR: Sum up the decade in three words. SB: Evolving. Disruptive. Challenging www.papercut.com PITR: What has been the high point of the decade? SB: Wow, that’s a difficult question actually. I’ve loved my time in this industry, and I have had many highs from winning large deals at Lexmark to being given a great opportunity at Konica Minolta to build a professional services division from scratch; not to mention the amazing time I’ve had at PaperCut watching us, our ecosystem and our customers, grow so strong. PITR: And the low point? SB: Ohhh, that’s a toughie. Personally, I don’t think I’ve had any low points. From an industry perspective, the ‘COVID times’ were obviously difficult; everything from the WFH aspect through to supporting our ecosystem of ASCs, resellers and end-users as much as we could. We were very proud that we did not have to furlough any of our employees, and we were able to pivot and focus on internal projects and opportunities. But, for someone like me who loves to talk to people and loves being externally focussed, it was hard doing everything virtually and not meeting people. PITR: What (or who) has had the greatest impact in the sector in the last 10 years? SB: This is an easy answer. Technology has had the greatest impact. I say that because technology has made everyone evolve. It has changed working patterns for end-users driving different requirements while ushering in productivity improvements. It has led to opportunities to talk about value beyond ‘speeds and feeds’. It has created opportunities for ISVs to evolve products and create new business opportunities. It is ever-evolving and continues to be. For example, we all look back at the Windows Print Nightmare being 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? Stu Brookes (SB): I fell into this industry after university. Having completed a work experience year with Xerox, I was lucky enough to receive a bursary and return after completing my degree. I had applied for a placement as a web designer for Inverness Tourism Board and that was the job I wanted, but Xerox came along first and the rest is history. It worked out! PITR: What was your first job? SB: I started at Xerox in 2002 as a software systems engineer, working primarily on the WorkCentre and WorkCentre Pro devices on features such as the SNMP/MIBs, Xerox Standard Accounting and the High Volume Finisher amongst others. INTERVIEW Stu Brookes, Head of Sales and Channel EMEA, PaperCut shares his experiences over the past decade, what he’s learned, and the highs and the lows of our unique and challenging industry A decade in print Stu Brookes
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