01732 759725 48 PEOPLE Annette Cunningham, Tech Data’s newly promoted Vice President Sales, has become the fourth female member of the nine-strong Tech Data UK and Ireland board, alongside Human Resources Director Jodie Carrol, Legal Director Sonna Monfared and Group Marketing Director Linda Patterson. Annette joined Tech Data in November 2020, as Field and Corporate Sales Director, bringing more than 30 years’ experience of the IT industry and senior sales leadership positions to the role. Commenting on her new position, Annette said: “I am honoured to have been given this opportunity to shape and develop the vitally important relationships between Tech Data and all its customers. I am looking forward to listening to and working with them, strengthening our relationships and making sure we continue to deliver the services and support they need to move towards their business goals.” Here, we ask Annette Cunningham about her life in IT. have to look for new ways to do more things. IT makes that possible. TR: And what are the biggest frustrations or challenges? AC: I think for the channel as whole the biggest challenge is ensuring co-workers remain motivated, excited and rewarded in what is a very competitive market – both in terms of business competition and competition for talented people – and at a time when we have a challenged economy and inflation at levels that most in the industry and country have not experienced before. Tech Data is a great place to work, and we need to make sure it stays that way and that we continue to value, listen to and respond to our people and to our customers. TR: In what areas do you think the IT industry could do better? AC: I think we still need to see more female representation at C level within the channel. I see a lot more women starters in IT, but I am often still the only female senior manager in our external meetings. And I think that as much as we work in a tech-savvy industry, many processes are admin-heavy, with manual input needed when they should be automated. As an industry, we should try to do more and lead by example as much as possible. Conversely, efforts are being made to automate interactions between the customer and supplier as much as possible. While driving efficiency is important, we also need to remember that sometimes a human touch is required. We need to strike the right balance. TR: What do you hope to achieve in your new role? AC: I hope to bring motivation and more success to the sales teams at Tech Data, to make their jobs easier by simplifying processes and enabling them to find out and focus more on what our customers would like us to do for them. I want all the teams to know, and feel good knowing, how capable Tech Data is in delivering customer excellence and not to be afraid to ask for more. I want our customers to feel comfortable with awarding us more business and to know that we’re working with them to achieve their goals. Ultimately, I want to support growth for our partners and Tech Data. TR: What advice would you give a young person considering a career in IT? AC: A career in IT is a great option for anyone. It can lead down many different paths – areas of business, areas of industry, office work, field work, technical, sales, marketing, finance – and provide a great career path. IT is an area that doesn’t stand still, it’s always developing so there are always new solutions and technologies to learn about and use. When you work in the IT industry, you always feel that you are on the leading edge of the technology and business world. I often hear people talk down IT, saying “it’s not like we’re saving lives or anything, just selling kit…” But actually, without the kit we sell, the NHS, for example, wouldn’t be able to save those lives. IT is critical to all industries and all businesses. Technology Reseller (TR): What was your first job in IT? Annette Cunningham (AC): I joined Thorn EMI Computer Software as Secretary to the Sales Manager immediately after leaving college. After six months they gave me a brand-new car (a Ford Escort) and a roadmap of the UK and sent me out visiting resellers. My first role was a combination of providing merchandising for stores selling PC games and introducing new products like Lotus 1-2-3 and WordPerfect. TR: Did you get into IT by accident or design? AC: By accident. I applied for the job advertised in the local paper as it was the biggest ad on the page. Newly qualified as a bi-lingual secretary, I had learned to type on a brand-new machine, an IBM Displaywriter, which impressed them as they were still using electric typewriters! TR: Do you see IT as a career or a lifestyle? AC: Initially I saw my jobs as just that – jobs that paid me money. However, when you are invested in a solution or product or company, you do everything you can to ensure its success. TR: What excites you most about working in IT today? AC: The new opportunities that IT still brings. New solutions, new ways of doing things, new ways to excite partners and customers. The challenges also bring opportunities – stock challenges, systems challenges, skills and people challenges. They mean that we My life in IT Annette Cunningham
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