Role: CEO, Xalient
What’s been your business high point of the last 12 months?
Seeing the trends we anticipated start to play out. As a specialist in identity security, secure networking and managed services, we saw early the shift to machine identities, the pressure on critical infrastructure and growing concern around post-quantum security.
Those issues are now very real for our clients, and it’s validating to see our early focus translate into deeper, more strategic relationships.
Name one thing your company is looking to achieve in 2026
To be the partner that customers turn to as the attack surface expands into AI, non-human identities and operational technology. Security is no longer just about people; it’s about machines and critical infrastructure too.
What keeps you awake at night as a partner leader?
The pace of change. Customers are navigating AI, cyber risk, regulation and cost pressure all at once. The challenge is switching off when there’s always another problem to solve.
Is AI being over-hyped?
Yes and no. The hype suggests everything is already solved, which it isn’t. But the shift is real and significant. The priority now is governance, because control must keep up with pace.
What’s been your most successful internal AI project to date, and why?
Using AI to remove operational friction. Our AIOps platform, MARTINA, is a good example, spotting issues faster, improving resilience and giving better insight. That’s where AI delivers real value.
Can you share a surprising prediction about how the UK IT channel will evolve over the next 5 years?
The focus will move firmly from products to outcomes. Customers will want partners who can simplify complexity, especially as AI reshapes how budgets and effort are allocated.
Which tech gizmo could you not function without?
AI assistants. They don’t replace thinking, but they accelerate it. At our level of complexity, that’s becoming essential.
Which three famous people, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?
Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs or Sam Altman, and Robin Williams. Creativity, curiosity and someone who keeps it human.
If you had a warning label, what would it say?
Low tolerance for endless slides. High expectation for action.
Which tech figurehead has impressed you the most this year, and why?
Sam Altman is the obvious name, but Dario Amodei stands out. He combines pushing AI forward with a serious focus on safety and governance. That balance will define who earns long term trust in this space.
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