01732 759725 20 ST: The ‘what’ would be changes in technology, and the ‘who’ (within the software side of the industry) I would have to say is PaperCut. The software is massively different now from what it was when I worked at Midwich. It’s evolved so much and significantly changed how people work, it speaks to the sustainability piece, helps streamline workflows and obviously it supports customer demand for cloud solutions. PITR: If you could change one thing about the last decade, what would it be? ST: At Selectec we have started using some of the products we provide in our own business. In particular we now use the Foldr content management and Square 9 information management platforms. The one thing I’d change is that we adopted them years ago, because they have massively changed the way I work and made me much more efficient. PITR: What has been your proudest moment of the past 10 years? ST: Getting a 2:1 in my psychology degree. That was a personal goal of mine, and I combined full-time work with studying. Most importantly though, I showed my daughter that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. PITR: Sum up the decade in three words. ST: Evolving. Challenging, Rewarding. PITR: What was your first job? ST: I had a couple of weekend jobs growing up. I worked in a pub as a waitress and in the kitchen, I also worked in a nursing home, also in the kitchen. PITR: What has been the high point of the decade? ST: It has to be being invited to the PaperCut ASC global conference in Melbourne in 2017. The best bit was that I was able to take my daughter, who was seven at the time, with me. It was such an amazing experience, I got to meet Chris Dance and Matt Doran and PaperCut’s global partners. My daughter was taken out each day by a member of the PaperCut team and their family, she got to see so much of Australia and she also joined in the conference activities. It was such an overwhelming experience for me and for her. PITR: And the low point? ST: COVID, the uncertainty, the impact it had on our customers and our customers’ customers, and how it impacted people losing loved ones. But equally, while COVID was a low point, I think it gave us all time to reset and reassess, and I think we needed that, we all needed to slow down. I try not to focus on negativity and instead switch things into a positive. PITR: What (or who) has had the greatest impact in the sector in the last 10 years? 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? Sian Thurston (ST): I dabbled in the print industry, working with commercial litho printers back in 2002 at Antalis. I then went into the swimming pool industry – but actually, swimming pool dealers are very similar to copier dealers! I was made redundant and then fell back into print. I joined Midwich in 2009 as the Lexmark funded head, I held a few roles there which led to me working with PaperCut, and then ten years ago I joined Selectec. A decade in print INTERVIEW Sian Thurston Sian Thurston, Head of Channel Operations, Selectec, shares her experiences over the past decade, what she’s learned, and the highs and the lows of our unique and challenging industry
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