Cisco Partner Hot Seat – Alex Hooper, Cisilion
This month we have Alex Hooper, Chief Technology Officer of Cisilion in our partner hot seat. In true ‘Paxman-style’ we will be finding out more about their role as partner as well as some of their pearls of business wisdom and of course getting an insight into of their own personal bubble.
How many years have you been working in the industry?
AH : 20 years, first job from University was teaching people how to use Windows and the wonders of a mouse.
What’s the first thing you do each morning?
AH : Turn the alarm off, look at the iPad, take a shower.
Tell us five things you do every day in your role
AH : Focus on the key deals, make sure the team are doing what they should be, spend time with customers, make sure my inbox is clear… and most importantly have fun doing it.
What’s your number one tip when it comes to dealing with customers?
AH : Watch and listen to what they are saying, too many people feel the need to talk rather than listen.
Name one thing businesses tend to forget when implementing or upgrading their technology
AH : User adoption. No matter how great the technology is, if the users don’t feel the need to use it, they won’t.
What’s the number one pain point or concern your customers have?
AH : Doing more with less.
What’s you favourite thing about your job?
AH : Seeing our solutions help our customers achieve their goals.
What’s the best thing about partnering with Cisco?
AH : Quality of solutions.
Name one device or piece of technology you couldn’t live without
AH : My kindle, its makes the commute so much easier.
If you weren’t working in tech, what would you be doing?
AH : Chimney Sweeper.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
AH : Always buy the first pint.
What helps you relax at the end of the day?
AH : My kids and then a large glass of wine.
What’s your ultimate comfort food?
AH : Shepherd’s Pie.
Which actor would play you in a biopic of your life?
AH : Eva Mendes.
If you could possess one superhero power, what would it be?
AH : Invisibility, I’d at least get to see England win the Rugby World Cup.
First music single you bought?
AH : “Mr Blue Sky” by ELO – still a classic.
Apple or Android?
AH : Apple, I committed to iTunes years ago, far too much effort to remove from my PC.
Who would you least like to be stuck on a desert island with?
AH : My mother, she would make me shave every day.
What’s your most-used smartphone app?
AH : Am I allowed to say “Candy Crush”?
In your opinion, what’s the best tech innovation of the last 100 years?
AH : The microchip.
