23 minute read
PCR’s Under 30’s: Rising Star of
PCR’s Under 30’s Rising Stars of the Industry
The tech channel has some fantastic young talented professionals. To celebrate this, we scouted out some of the best in the industry. Here’s who shone the brightest.
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Winner of this year’s Rising Stars of the Industry Award
Ben Clark
Global Partnerships Manager COROS Wearables Incorporated Age 25
“Aged just 25, Ben Clark has risen to Global Partnerships Manager in one of the fastest growing sports wearable tech companies in the world. Starting as UK Market Manager (HoM), and being promoted to Northern Europe Market as well as holding similar roles in other companies in the industry including Garmin, and mymo, Ben is quickly gaining the skills and development required for a very successful career in tech.
“During his time in marketing with COROS, Ben has brought in over 1000 pieces of global PR and guest content (micro-influencers), as well as multiple technology partnerships and products awards all in the space of less than a year, equating to approximately £5.1M additional revenue.”
** Congratulations Ben!
We look forward to welcoming you and a guest to this year’s PCR Awards night**
Scott Walker
UK Operations and Technical Manager Hannspree Age 28
“Scott Walker plays a vital role in the dayto-day running of the HANNspree business, with an ell-encompassing skill set. Notably, his invaluable technical knowledge perfectly lends to the management of HANNspree’s operations, and technical and product management. Scott is a key cog in the HANNspree product development process, from influencing conception to actively participating in market delivery. Thanks to Scott’s dedication to customer satisfaction, coupled with his technical experience, he delivers a 5 star rated technical support inbox management, consistently praised for his professional and knowledgeable handling of customer technical support communications. Scott is a true team player, and an asset who continually thrives within the company.”
Haydn Boyd
Sales Manager UK, Ireland, South Africa & Benelux, Razer (Europe) Age: 29
“Since joining Razer, Haydn Boyd has invigorated the channel and retail sectors of the gaming business, with multiple successful B2B and B2C initiatives, resulting in Razer consistently increasing market share across multiple categories, both in the UK as well as the Benelux and South Africa regions. Haydn’s ability to identify potential opportunities coupled with his deep understanding of the technology and gaming markets, has proven to be a major asset for the company. In an increasingly competitive market, Haydn continues to work smoothly with buyers, distributors and retailers to maximise run rates and sales, with outstanding success.”
Hannah Freeman
Retail Sales Account Manager Intel Age 27
“Hannah Freeman is a rising star within Intel and the UK tech ecosystem. With a wealth of experience from working with multinationals and formulating end-toend pricing strategies, she compliments her skillset with energy, enthusiasm, and motivation in a sales environment. Hannah is known for strategic thinking which enables her to create and deploy successful, scalable sales plans. At the tender age of 27 she has a big future ahead of her!!
Oana Pirtan
Consumer Product and Business Manager Lenovo Age: 29
“Oana Pirtan joined Lenovo in November 2020 and quickly became a key member of Lenovo’s Consumer 4P/ Category Team. Oana manages Lenovo’s Consumer Desktop and All-in-One Segments and our newer consumer visuals business. She’s embraced the challenge and driven Lenovo’s market share to record levels in visuals – achieving our highest market share in March 2021 and driving significant year-on-year growth.
“Oana also presented live alongside TV Host Suzie Perry at Lenovo’s RX21 virtual event and was a natural, showcasing the new lineup and demonstrating the new Yoga 7 All-in-One to all our retail customers.”
Maddison Hill
IT Solutions, HR Coordinator Agilitas Age: 27
“Since joining Agilitas, Maddie Hill has made a huge impression in supporting our people strategy, such as recruitment and onboarding. Not only does she achieve this with great efficiency, but does so with a smile. Maddie demonstrates her can-do, positive and proactive approach daily. She plays a crucial part in our company’s recruitment and retention strategies. Maddie has developed good and strong work relationships with management during a short period of time. She works extremely hard, with resilience and pragmatism, whilst strengthening our human resources platform from a system and policy perspective.”
Laura Cross
Logistics Team Leader Comms Care Age 26
“Laura Cross has been with Commscare for over 5 years. Laura initially started as a Project Coordinator and after 12 months in that position she transitioned over to the Logistics Team to become our heart of Stock Control. As a key member of the Commscare Team, Laura now develops system processes, implements strategies to maintain customer satisfaction and to make sure the users around the business have the best tools to complete and deliver the best service possible.
“Laura is not afraid to jump into any project assigned to her, presenting to Director level, new ideas for best practice, she is a highly respected part of the Commscare team.”
Lewis Welsh
Account Manager CMS Distribution Age 28
“In the 18 months Lewis Welsh has been at CMS Distribution, he has demonstrated an exceptional talent for developing business partnerships within the PC Components & Gaming category. Lewis has exceeded expectations by adding new accounts to our portfolio, which has contributed to a growth in sales and market share. He is customer focused, dedicated and a strong team player which has resulted in new and existing vendor relationships being strengthened.”
Deborah D’Costa
Zaboura, Account Manager Age - 28
“Just before lockdown was announced, Deborah D’Costa was promoted to a Junior Account Manager position, and went from working face-to-face with her team every day, to managing them at home. This was the first time she had ever managed a team and learning how to do so remotely, she says was definitely a challenge. In overcoming that challenge and working through various struggles, D’Costa felt herself grow both as a person, and as a member of the team. She stepped up to the mark and knowing what needed to be done, when it needed to be done, was able to motivate the team when things were increasingly difficult for everyone.”
Alex Astbury
Sales Manager BenQ Age 27
“Starting his career in Technical Support, Alex Astbury decided to take his extensive knowledge of technology into the world of sales. Beginning his journey as a Sales Apprentice in 2014, Alex completed the entire training programme in an incredible six months.
“Alex has since moved into the gaming world, where he has managed relationships with Amazon, Argos and SDG, leading to extremely successful business and eCommerce partnership development, brand awareness expansion and ultimately, sales activation increases.
Now working as BenQ’s B2C Sales Manager, Alex has already made huge positive waves across the business and made an enormous impact within the team.”
Richard Mackey
BenQ B2C Marketing Executive Age 29
“Only three years into his marketing career and six months into a role at global electronics manufacturer BenQ, Richard Mackey has already made an impact in the world of technology.
“Joining BenQ in January 2020 as UK marketing executive within its consumer division, Richard was quickly tasked with rapidly deploying a new marketing strategy to correspond with changes to the business caused by the global pandemic.
“As a result of lockdown, BenQ has had to rely on its B2C division more than ever before. Whilst businesses have delayed AV installations and procurement, Richard had to think quickly and effectively about how to ensure his division could maintain success.”
Jake Armstrong
Logistics Team Leader Comms Care Age 28
“Jake Armstrong is very approachable and a genuinely nice person. Since he joined Comms Care, he has developed hugely, taking on increased responsibility becoming a team leader. He cares a lot about the work that he undertakes and the way the department and company are perceived. His passion for Comms Care is second to none and we are very lucky to have him. Jake has helped develop the skills of others that have allowed his peers to succeed in their role. His desire to do what’s best for comms care and to continue with improvements for his department is astounding.”
Cameron McGill
Senior Business Client Engineer Utopia Computers Age 27
“Cameron McGill came to Utopia as a repair technician and sought out ways to learn wherever he could. In the last year, he has been key to the exponential growth of Utopia’s business, playing an integral role in securing our largest contract to date. Throughout his career at Utopia, he has shown a natural flair for staying calm under pressure and an innate ability to retain information about networking and server installations. This year he was promoted to Senior Business Client Engineer, heading up new technology rollouts and keeping Utopia’s clients safe and secure while making the vast transitions required during the pandemic.”
Robyn Boyd
PR & Social Media Executive PFU (EMEA) Limited Age: 29
“Robyn has made a huge impact on the business since joining two and a half years ago, bringing with her valid previous experience from big tech names including Panasonic, Samsung and Vertu.
She has quickly established herself as an invaluable member of the PFU EMEA marketing team, where she manages an external PR agency to plan and build regular, engaging content including a PR and social media calendar. Most recently she project-managed brand campaigns including the ScanSnap 20th anniversary, the Happy Hacking Keyboard launch and achieved great results with PFUE’s first ever influencer campaign in July 2020.”
Fredrico D’uva
Senior Marketing Strategist Rawnet Age 29
“Freddy has been at Rawnet for 4 years, starting as a solo marketing strategist with the intention to grow our SEO services. Rawnet used to be known for their web design and development skills and wanted to offer more digital support in these areas. In these four short years Freddy has created and grown a whole other area in Rawnet’s strategy team from just himself to a team of 11, the marketing strategy team is now one of our strongest and most profitable service offerings, which has changed the direction we serve our clients and the direction of the business.”
Felix Heitländer
IT-Specialist - system integration, Customer Support Engineer SEH Technology Age 27
“Felix first joined SEH Technology as a trainee in 2015. During this time, he has worked in all areas of the company for three years, including sales, marketing processing, hardware and software development, and production, before moving to customer support. Within his role, he has worked to develop holistic service standards and created interfaces between development and end customers. Not only has this improved customer satisfaction and retention for the company, but Felix has also successfully completed over 6,000 customer support tickets. He is also SEH’s single point of contact for business and project partners, building strong and long-lasting relationships with stakeholders.”
Midhula Mahendran
Channel Marketing Specialist PFU EMEA Age 26
“Since joining the team in early 2020, Midhula Mahendran has made an immediate impact and brought great value to the PFU EMEA marketing team, supporting Field Sales, Sales Leadership and Marketing. In the short time she has been with PFUE and despite global challenges, she has built exceptional marketing relationships with our most important channel partners and press, improved brand awareness, quality of content and has driven significant improvements in the company’s go-to market offering.
Her colleagues would describe her as enthusiastic and determined, and always looking for proactive ways to drive change and improvement.”
Using IoT to help businesses survive and thrive
Nick Sacke, head of IoT and products at Comms365 discusses how IoT and the use of data can boost and support industries and the wider economy.
With the UK going into its rst nancial recession since 2009 as a consequence of COVID-19, many businesses are struggling to stay alive. Without the right technology and continuity processes in place, organisations were unable to adapt their models quickly enough to survive. Now it’s a wake-up call to get the right solutions implemented to ride the waves of any future economic storms.
With the increase in the volume of data that is being produced, identifying, analysing and using the information that is scattered around an organisation is a key business challenge, but also an opportunity. is can be addressed by the optimal use of data, deploying innovative IoT technologies including sensors, and targeted insights from ‘Big Data’ analytics systems.
IoT, smart sensors and connected technologies are starting to play a key role in providing valuable data for e ective decision making across all industries. Improving processes through data collection and analysis is necessary for companies to future-proof their businesses in a highly volatile global market and identify new revenue streams.
By taking a circular economy approach, organisations can reduce waste, extract the most value and obtain cost savings by optimising their use of resources. rough the collection and analysis of data, interconnected devices have the potential to outline the key areas of waste of resources and inform real-time decision-making on how to address these issues. By capitalising on innovation, businesses can bene t from a rise of new economic opportunities, such as the mitigation of supply risks, while ensuring that assets are used to their maximum potential.
Moreover, by having visual insight into the condition and availability of each asset, this overview is of value to businesses to enhance their productivity through factors such as predictive maintenance. Overall, this helps to make products and services more e ective and e cient, while reducing costs and waste in the supply chain.
In a pandemic when workforces are remote, it’s vital for businesses to have a robust, high-quality Internet connection and IoT connected device. is will provide visibility on-site and remote access as required, reducing the need for engineers and IT teams to make unnecessary and potentially risky site visits. e deployment of 5G will help to increase network “With the capacity and data ow; supporting connections increase in the of one million devices per square kilometre. By volume of data that supercharging the potential of IoT with new 5G is being produced, identifying, analysing and using the information that is scattered around an organisation is a key business challenge, networks, connected buildings and transport infrastructure could bene t from the value this enhanced connectivity will bring. Smart buildings are the future, and post-COVID-19, can help to boost the economy by reducing the costs of running the public sector estate, such as the introduction of smart lighting. but also an Elements that have had a signi cant impact opportunity.” on the economy are the need for social distancing measures and other safety elements that have had to be implemented. Particularly for industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with fewer sta , organisations faced signi cant challenges to meet demand. But this is where IoT is playing a vital role, especially once employees start to return to work. e use of IoT can support automation of shared touchpoints needed to limit cross-contamination. For example, monitoring the distance between people via infrared beams and alerting when social distancing thresholds are crossed. By deploying these technologies, businesses can operate safely and productively while generating revenue to remain operational. If businesses were to embrace innovative technology and use the data they collect in the right way, the ‘new normal’ post-COVID-19 may be a smoother transition for many. By leveraging the most value from their resources, as well as the management and more e cient use of data to meet green agenda objectives, organisations can help to keep their running costs low, which is particularly important during uncertain times. is preparation, in turn, will help businesses to ride the waves of uncertainty and keep them trading to boost the economy in both the short and long-term.
Smart tech keeps on getting smarter
Ryan Thomas, business unit manager for mobile, CE & mixed reality at Tech Data considers the smart technology segment.
Tech Data has an array of complementary vendors that sit within the smart home category. From the Google Hardware portfolio to Arlo cameras, Yale security and much more. To provide added clarity and focus, we have organised smart home solutions into a number of sub-categories, as follows: • Ecosystem (Google, Alexa, Apple Home Kit) • Networking (TP Link, D-Link) • Security (Yale, Arlo, Nest) • Climate (Nest) • Lighting (Philips Hue, Wiz, LifX, TP Link) • Entertainment (Philips, Oculus, Facebook Portal, TCL) • Lifestyle (Fitbit) • Energy (Eaton, APC)
When engaging with new prospect partners we talk about the full smart home ecosystem and how we can assist in creating a shortened decision-making journey for the customer.
We are also expanding our presence in augmented and virtual reality, particularly in the enterprise space with brands like Facebook Oculus, Microsoft Hololens and Google Glass. These are all being made available via Tech Data’s wider solutions aggregation platforms, alongside relevant software solutions and service and finance options.
Smart home is an ever-evolving and growing segment of the market. According to ResearchAndMarkets the global smart home market size is expected to grow from $78.3 billion in 2020 to USD $135.3 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 11.6%. Separately, GFK values the UK market at €2.3 billion, so we can perhaps expect it to approach €11 billion by 2025, so the potential for growth is huge.
Over the last ten years, AR and VR have begun to show massive promise and many of the tech giants are investing in these technologies, with the global market expected to reach $18.8 billion in 2020 – an increase of over 78% on 2019.
More and more hardware developers are popping up and it’s the start of something completely new.
Increasingly, smart home technology products from different vendors are compatible and will work together out of the box. This has made integration easier and led to further acceptance of smart home tech in both the consumer and business markets. We have also seen huge leaps forward in acceptance and use of in AR/VR – again in both the consumer and business segment. Much of this has been driven by products such as Facebook Oculus and Xbox Kinnect. This is making a huge difference across the whole category, and the rate of development and user acceptance is accelerating all the time. AR & VR are now able to bring the digital world to life, either in a completely virtual environment or by bringing digital “When images and information into the real world with augmented reality. engaging with Tech Data has been working with partners to promote and deliver smart home new prospect partners solutions with a number of sectors, including construction and hospitality. we talk about the full smart We recently supported one of our reseller partners on a project to voice-enable home ecosystem and how all guest rooms and services for a large UK hotel chain using Google solutions. we can assist in creating a This solution enables guests to use simple voice commands to interact shortened decision-making with the hotel and personalise their experiences, from making service requests journey for the and setting alarms, to asking for local customer.” recommendations and hotel information. With AR and VR there is a real demand for solutions in construction, engineering, medicine, education, and training. Independent software vendors are building solutions that support an array of situations for any given environment. Millennials are now of an age where they will begin to purchase their first home and as they have grown up with these technologies, they will both expect and want to make use of smart home tech. Historically, augmented reality has been confined to smartphones, with apps like Snapchat and Pokemon GO leading the way. Over the next few years, we can expect to see players like Apple and Facebook start to get involved and extend the use of AR through head-worn AR glasses.
Smart thinking
EZVIZ UK’s Simon Buckingham, Brand & Marketing Manager gives his personal view on where the smart tech industry is headed.
With the pandemic situation has come a need for transformation into advances of technology within Security, technology that has always been there, just perhaps never the need for it just yet or specific legislations.
Moving forward, for example, you will see football stadiums integrating facial recognition terminals as you enter stadiums, automated temperature screening cameras as well as general AI aspects of cameras picking up on human/vehicle shapes to define better notifications and security solutions as well as sensational improvements in both resolution and night vision capabilities. Improved entry solutions to residential and commercial, as well as general public spaces such as events etc. will put people’s minds at ease and encourage a new stage of human/tech relationships. EZVIZ has taken its products to another level, not just aesthetically but technologically as well, leading the way in features such as Colour Night Vision, further enhancing security to a true detailed 24/7 scenario, AI Human Shape and Vehicle Shape detections, catering for various requirements and needs of the customer. Removing false notifications and informing you of what really matters, in a fast paced lifestyle, this is an important aspect to provide a solution for. We strive to educate our customers via content and support systems to encourage why you need our products and how they benefit your life.
New and improved internet infrastructure being rolled out nationwide (and from space!) will benefit the IoT industry even further, as we have more and more connected devices at home and at work, more opportunity arises for further integration and automation within these kind of environments. Couple with things like Geo-Fencing, recently a feature we added to our app, customers can do things such as have Smart lights turn on when they are near home or if a camera detects motion. This is a basic idea, but adds another dimension to our busy lives and it does not stop there as things like kitchen appliances interact in various IoT systems too. Kettles, washing machines, vacuums, the list continues to grow. The addition a few years back of voice devices such as Alexa/Google Home, allows the Smart market to really take off, people finally got it and understood what is possible, the demand is now there and will continue to grow over the many years to come. More are now accustomed to this new lifestyle approach; we are waiting for the next steps, and with my research recently I can see the path.
Blockchain technology is something I have a great personal interest in, both from an investment perspective as well as general technological interest (I love tech), I see the future where IoT and AI will thrive in this new way to pave the way for a true Smart City approach and enhance our smart home experience to beyond our imagination this coming decade and beyond. IoT and AI has no boundaries, autonomous drones, automated taxi pickups based on your integrated schedules and needs, automatic medical assistance. Whilst we have no application via Blockchain yet, I know of many companies in the AI/IOT industry working hard on this kind of project and I can see many many more joining the revolution as time goes on. Quicker, faster, cheaper, machine to machine learning (M2M) and paving a way for a fully interoperable infrastructure that will benefit every aspect of life and bring all the technologies and products collectively into one streamline that will simply…. Just work. Machine to machine learning, with less and less human interaction as technology develops, will mean a new decentralised system where instead of relying on one server, you will rely on a multitude of servers, if one product fails in your system, another will take over to avoid any reduction in service throughout your home or business, I truly believe that blockchain, AI and IoT will be the future sooner than we think, and it will pave the way for the 4th industrial revolution.
However, for now, with IoT of course comes the Cloud services, not only powering some of these new exciting features in various products, but also the ability to store data such as evidence and playback footage of your cameras. Here at EZVIZ we have a comprehensive Cloud offering with various price points to fit the various needs our customers ask for. Cloud Storage provides a cost effective and full proof solution to ensure you have what you need, when you need it in a highly secure manor. As you know from reading the previous PCR edition about how important privacy and encryption is, we take this aspect very seriously, especially being a security solution company!
Multiple sources suggest the Smart home market in the UK alone being approximately £158 billion, but I believe it will be higher personally with all the factors mentioned in this article as well as all the ones I have not mentioned! Consumer behaviour is changing; education of the sector is accelerating as is the media attention, the requirement for Smart, AI and IoT has even greater demands than ever before. The adoption of Smart home/IoT sector is not catered to any specific age group in my opinion and rightly so, I believe anyone and everyone can and will benefit from further smart adoption.
The next growth having already seen the results of devices such as alexa/google home, will be things like smart HVAC solutions, home and business air conditioning solutions that are in line with latest climate goals and programmes such as Agenda 30, smarter tech will result in the reduction of carbon emissions and improve the efficiency of all aspects, turning things off for us when not in use, adjusting power/heating as and when needed. This coupled with the fact that some technological components are mass produced more than ever before will suggest more can be made cheaper, thus improving pricing for both business and end users like you and I. The pipeline for EZVIZ is very exciting and we will see more and more smart home products enter our portfolio to increase and improve the ever growing and already impressive eco-system.
Mark my words, when it comes to AI and IoT, we haven’t seen anything yet and there is a lot more to come and I look forward to this progressive journey with you all. I know that EZVIZ will continue to push its technology even more in the Smart Security market as well as other areas I cannot wait to look back at this article in the future like I have done with previous ones and discuss how much further we have come between now and then, that goes for the whole smart market in general too. See you in the future!
