Name:  Ceri Jones

Company, Job Title: The Essential Agency, Business Associate

What was your first job:  Saturday job – part time sales assistant in Woolworths. On the deli counter – yes Woolies many moons ago had deli counters and yes I’m that old! It gave me a great work ethic at an early age and I loved having my own money – it was probably the richest I’ve ever been with a 100% disposable income – I had no boring bills to pay!

How did you get into channel marketing:  In my placement year at University I worked for NCR and after finishing my degree NCR took me on as a marketing assistant, within its reseller division.

Best day on the job ever:  Scoring a hat trick when our marketing team won three awards at the CRN Sales & Marketing Awards while I was working for Avnet

Biggest thing that’s changed in the industry since you started:  The number of vendor and distributor acquisitions that’s taken place over the years within the channel.  I realise it’s important for business progression and continuity but it can be very unsettling times for individuals as inevitably it results in restructuring, culture changes and sadly job losses.

Favourite thing about working in the tech sector:  It is a dynamic industry to work in and IT is a vital lifeline and beating heart in modern society.  This can been seen even more so now with the pandemic – i.e. technology has kept us all connected during this challenging time

Least favourite thing about working in the tech sector:  As I’ve said above it can be hard keeping on top of all the changes in terms of acquisitions but also the fast paced technology advancements in the IT industry. 

Then and now- the one thing you wish you knew back then:  When I was working for NCR during my placement year in 1992 I remember reading an article about a new wireless technology – I knew it was a great idea and would be a future enabler of technology but didn’t realise how big!

Tomorrow’s world: one thing you predict will happen in the next 12 months:  A cashless society. I’ve thought for a quite a while now that we are moving towards a cashless society but with Covid19 rearing it’s ugly head I feel it’s speeded this up.  For example I’ve had £65 in my purse for the last month and I can’t spend it!  All the shops and restaurants now want paying with contactless/pin – even my local chip shop now accepts card payments! Or people are opting to purchase online which again negates the need for hard cash.  The positive of this is that it will help reduce tax evasion/everyone pays their way but people may feel that it threatens their autonomy with “Big Brother” watching/controlling in the back ground.