16 01732 759725 60 seconds TR: Did you get into IT by accident or design? HR: Who gets into IT by design...? Definitely, I fell into tech (see TED Talk at http://tinyurl.com/yeythxnf). TR: If you could swap your current job for any other what would it be? HR: Probably a Porsche test driver. I am a bit obsessed with cars. TR: What’s the best bit of business advice you’ve been given? HR: Always employ people who are far better than you. I really didn’t get this when I was younger but now, wow, what sage advice. TR: Have you ever had any embarrassing moments at work? HR: I’m always the clown at work and don't take myself seriously at all. In my earlier days, I must have said the wrong things at the wrong time and looked a dick. I probably still do, but now I just shrug it off. It’s a good job I’m not a brain surgeon! TR: What would make your day job easier? HR: Having a clone of myself that is always 100% charged. TR: What is your favourite quote and why? HR: ‘Every day is a school day’. When you stop learning, you stop living. TR: What’s on your playlist at the moment? HR: Lots of EDM and some pop stuff. TR: Fine dining and good wine or curry and a pint? HR: Curry and a pint. Or peanuts and a pint tbh. TR: Favourite holiday destination? HR: The Caribbean. TR: What have been your business highlights of the last 12 months? Hayley Roberts (HR): 2023 was a very tough year for a lot of businesses and we were no exception. The main highlight for me has been the way the team has pulled together and belligerently believes in the value we create and amplify in channel. In business, as in life, hard decisions have to be made. We have navigated some tough ones, yet still remain a strong and positive team. Winning the CRN Security Distributor of the Year Award, for which we had previously been Highly Commended, was another highlight. TR: What is currently having the greatest impact on your business? HR: People will always have the greatest impact on us as a business. As a services business, the heart of what we do is customer-led, which means we have to switch up a gear to support our customers and end users, not only with the best technology but also with the best support, guidance and enablement. This is a constant work in progress, and in my opinion it should be for any business that wants to survive the macro-economic knocks over which we have so little control. TR: Where do you see the next big opportunity for Distology and its partners? HR: Our post-sales services offering is fully comprehensive from an IAM (identity and access management) point of view and is growing in the security space too. This means we can provide end-to-end support for our partners and for their customers. This is one of the biggest value-adds that we are focussing on and developing across Europe. TR: What are your priorities for 2024? HR: To ensure that our partners are fully supported with our technologies and services; to be more consultative in our approach; and to be known as a true trusted security solutions advisor to the channel. 60 seconds with... Hayley Roberts, CEO, Distology Hayley Roberts is the founder and CEO of multi-award-winning cybersecurity distributor Distology. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Distology distributes products and services from leading and emerging vendors through an extensive network of IT resellers and service providers across EMEA. It also provides software engineering, product design, solution architecture and IAM consultancy services to partners and customers through Distology Studios. Distology has ambitious growth plans for its new financial year starting in April (see page 42). www.distology.com Hayley Roberts
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