26 01732 759725 INTERVIEW all over the place; it’s even in Top Gun: Maverick! I am prone to procrastination and simply remembering this helps me to stay focused on the job. TR: What is your favourite quote/ motto and why? PG: “It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little”, from John Ruskin. It lends itself nicely to working within sales, where it’s important to emphasise that quality is something worth paying for, but also proves very useful in day to day life. TR: What’s on your playlist at the moment? PG: It’s nearly always rock music, heavy metal in particular, with all the classics – Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Kiss, I could go on – getting played regularly. TR: What’s the most used app on your phone and why? PG: Other than the obvious ones like LinkedIn and WhatsApp, I’d have to say it’s the Costa app – some days I just really need the caffeine, and every so often you get a free cuppa. Yep, I’m from Yorkshire! TR: How do you like to spend your spare time? PG: I love a DIY project – building something, making something, painting something, fixing something. I’ll have a go at most things! TR: Favourite holiday destination? PG: This is an easy one, as I have been lucky enough to visit Kenya and go on Safari. Seeing those amazing animals in their natural habitat is just spectacular! in IT and software solutions for many years and was looking for a change, so started searching for similar roles in different industries. It’s not a drastic change, moving from IT to Telecoms, but it was enough to get me fired up again. A friend working for a telecoms reseller in Leeds recommended an opportunity to me, and I ended up working for a great company that gave me the foundation to move on to the role I have today. TR: What would your dream job be? PG: Anything that involves working with animals. I’m not sure I have the stomach for being a vet, but to be involved in rescuing and helping wildlife would be amazing. TR: What would make your day job easier? PG: A buzzer that goes off every time I try to jump between tasks would be useful. Concentrating on one thing at a time is the best way to ensure I’m not compromising on the quality of what I’m doing. As they say, if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. TR: Which business leader outside your industry do you most admire and why? PG: I think the work Martin Lewis does to enable the whole nation to get the best from every penny is impressive. He is fighting the fight for so many people in areas that affect us all and I find that very motivating. And the man has so much energy – I get out of breath just watching him! TR: What’s the best bit of business advice you’ve been given? PG: Don’t think, just do! This pops up Technology Reseller (TR): What have been your business highlights of the last 12 months? Paul Grant (PG): Having worked for resellers for over 25 years, being on the other side of the fence and working for a vendor has given me a different perspective on how all the pieces in the channel work together. We’ve introduced many new products this year, including high performing but affordable IP phones in our D8xx range and specialist devices such as our SP800. Finding opportunities where these products can add value keeps everything fresh and interesting. TR: Where do you see the next big opportunity for Snom and its partners? PG: We are continuing to grow our brand, with product launches and expansion into new territories – but it’s also important that we continue to be innovative in a market that has changed a lot over the last few years. There is still a significant demand for IP devices. We are seeing more MSPs expanding their portfolios to incorporate telecoms, and we are engaging with them more and more to get Snom recognised as the premium choice for end point devices for their customers. TR: How did you get into telecoms? PG: I’ve worked in account management 60 seconds with… Paul Grant, Channel Manager UK&I, Snom Paul Grant Snom continues to expand its popular D8xx series of high performance deskphones Paul Grant was appointed UK and Ireland Channel Manager for Snom last September, since when he has been working closely with the VoIP manufacturer’s new and existing reseller partners, alongside Steven Try, whose focus is on supporting distributor and platform partners. Before joining Snom, Paul was an account manager at The Technology Group, following a spell in software and IT sales at Arena Group and account management roles with IKON Office Solutions and ISC. Founded in 1997 and part of the VTech Group since 2016, Snom has sold more than 10 million IP communication products globally through a network of more than 10,000 resellers.
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