Channel Chat Podcast

In this Channel Chat episode, Marc Sumner sits down with Tom Hockton, VP of BMC Helix UK & Ireland, to talk career growth, leadership, and channel strategy. Tom shares how he went from studying languages and working at Shanghai Radio to leading one of the most channel-driven enterprise software businesses in the UK.

In this episode, Marc Sumner sits down with Lewis Pope, one of the Head Nerds at Enable, to explore the evolving world of cybersecurity, Reseller and MSP challenges, and what it really means to build cyber resilience in 2025 and beyond.

In this episode, Marc Sumner sits down with Paul Hamilton, Founder & CEO of Halo, one of the UK's fastest-growing software companies — and the second most valuable privately-owned software company in the country.

In this episode of Channel Chat, host Marc Sumner sits down with Julian Brown-O-Davies, Global VP of Security Services at Bugcrowd, for an in-depth conversation on cyber innovation, leadership, and the evolving world of offensive security.

This week Marc sits down with James Anderson, Channel Director (International) at Abnormal AI. From starting out as a biochemistry graduate and aspiring rugby pro, James has built a career shaping channel strategies across Trend, Quest, Ivanti, Exabeam – and now Abnormal.

This week Marc Sumner sat down with Dan Smith, CEO of Astralis, to talk about his journey from sales leadership at Blancco to running Astralis, and the lessons he's carried along the way. They covered a lot of ground, including: • The importance of winning hearts and minds in leadership – not just giving orders. • Why sales directors should keep their toe in the game and stay relevant. • How Astralis was born out of an "exit → retirement → back to business" story. • The challenges (and opportunities) of working with channel partners in IT asset disposal (ITAD). • The real role of ESG and sustainability in customer decisions. • Where the market is heading: vendors, resellers, and lifecycle partners.

Recorded live at Samsung KX, London, Channel Chat Live brought together 250+ C-suite execs and senior leaders from across the UK IT Channel for an evening of unfiltered debate, insights and networking. In Part 2, host Marc Sumner and our all-star panel — Neil Hall, Aine Rogers, Lyndsey Charlton, and Alistair Wildman — take questions directly from the audience and dive even deeper into the issues shaping the Channel. Huge thanks again to our sponsors Arrow Cloud UK & Ireland, Check Point Software, and Cameo for powering the after party.

Recorded live at Samsung KX, London, Channel Chat Live brought together 250+ senior leaders, business owners and C-suite execs from across the UK IT Channel for an evening of debate, insights and networking. Host Marc Sumner was joined on stage by an all-star panel – Neil Hall, Aine Rogers, Lyndsey Charlton, and Alistair Wildman – tackling the big questions shaping the Channel. A huge thank you to our sponsors – Arrow Cloud UK & Ireland, Check Point Software, and Cameo for powering the after party. Don't miss Part 2 for more insights and audience Q&A.

Channel Chat Podcast | Gavin Bell, CEO of Econocom — From CC "Boomerang" to Building a UK Solutions Business Recorded in London (yes, during a tube strike!), Marc sits down with Gavin Bell to unpack: Why he "boomeranged" back to Computacenter and what cultural fit really means Overlay vs. solution sales — and why the label "overlay" winds him up Moving into his first CEO role at Econocom and integrating the Trams acquisition Differentiation: solutions + lifecycle services + in-house financing (not just "another reseller") Pragmatic AI: better service & scale (bids, service desk) — not headcount cuts Ageism, reskilling at 50+, and why experience still matters 2025 outlook: services growth, UK brand building, and who to watch (Gavin's pick: NVIDIA)