32 01732 759725 to the channel. Someone once described me as ‘a salesperson in a marketeer’s clothing’, which stuck. I made the move into the channel and haven’t looked back since, working for VMware, IGEL and now ControlUp. If you could swap your current job for any other what would it be? I’d like to be a professional sports agent, especially in football. I think the role of managing talent, developing a player’s career and being part of record-breaking transfers would be simply incredible. Which business leader do you most admire and why? Warren Buffett. Why? He has said invest in things that change the world. And I can’t help but admire people who want to positively change the world. What’s the best bit of business advice you’ve been given? The best business advice I’ve received came from my first boss in IT – the Managing Director of AirWatch EMEA. His message was simple but powerful: show up. In a world increasingly dominated by digital communication, he impressed on me the importance of face-to-face relationships. It’s a principle I’ve carried throughout my career, meaning I’m on the road three to four days a week. What advice would you give a young person considering a career in IT? Start as early as you can. I didn’t move into tech until my mid-thirties and I wish I’d made the leap straight out of university. The pace, innovation and opportunity in this industry are unmatched, and getting in early gives you a huge advantage. Beyond that, prioritise face-to-face interaction wherever possible. In-person engagement is still one of the most powerful tools in building trust and long-term relationships. Always find a reason to be in front of the customer, while still adding value. Don’t be a pest, but don’t underestimate the impact of being present. While this creates uncertainty, it also opens doors for partners. ControlUp has adapted rapidly, innovating and evolving its positioning to stay ahead. In this climate of change, ControlUp is helping channel partners navigate this complexity, turning upheaval into opportunity. What recent business wins are you most proud of? ControlUp recently competed against 16 cutting-edge technologies and earned a spot in CDW’s coveted Emerging Partner Programme. CDW’s experts identified just four standout technologies they believe are going to have a significant impact in the market, and the ControlUp ONE platform, our Digital Employee Experience solution, is one of them. Being included opens up major opportunities for us in terms of visibility, growth and deeper engagement with CDW and its customers. Where do you see the next big opportunity for your channel partners? The way IT is procured is undergoing a major shift, with marketplaces from Azure, AWS and Google becoming central to how software is bought today. To stay relevant, partners must move beyond basic licence resale models and develop robust, diverse service offerings. Those who focus on packaged solutions, value-added services and developing long-term strategy for their customers will be best positioned for future success. Did you get into IT by accident or design? By accident. I was working in product marketing at Argos when I was made redundant – right after buying my first flat. I had to quickly look for a marketing role in Milton Keynes and, by chance, landed one at a tech startup called AirWatch, a mobile device management provider. I knew little about IT, so the learning curve was fast. Within a year, AirWatch was acquired by VMware for $1.54 billion and I was fortunate to be retained. That moment changed the trajectory of my career. While in marketing, I was always drawn What have been your business highlights of the last 12 months? In the past year, ControlUp has achieved record-breaking growth, with double-digit annual recurring revenue, driven by an impressive 629% increase in pipeline year-over-year. These results have elevated our relevance in the market and increased our visibility with top partners, helping us to grow partner-sourced business from just a handful of channel-led deals a year to one every other day. It’s a clear sign that partner engagement is growing fast and that ControlUp is becoming a go-tosolution within the channel. What is currently having the greatest impact on your business? The virtualisation market has undergone massive disruption recently, with major acquisitions and licensing changes forcing customers to rethink their EUC strategies. With James Dunn, Channel Director of ControlUp, provider of a scalable Digital Employee Experience (DEX) platform offering actionable, AI-driven insights and proactive remediation tools to enhance the digital experience, reduce costs and boost efficiency and productivity 60 seconds INTERVIEW James Dunn
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