6 Brits You Must Meet At Autotask Community Live

I’m at the beautiful Westin Diplomat Resort in Miami, Florida for this years Autotask Community Live 2014 conference.

One of the premier Conferences on the IT calendar, Autotask Community Live brings together some of the most successful folks in our industry space, all under one roof. I’ve previously shared my 5 tips for making the most of Autotask Community Live – and the number one tip on that list? It’s all about the networking!

There are around 900 IT Solution Providers, Managed Service Providers (MSP’s), Vendors and industry figures in attendance at Community Live this year, and amongst them are a large contingent of my fellow Brits.

While I’d encourage you to meet as many people as you can while you’re in Miami, here is my list of 6 Brits you must meet at Autotask Community Live! Don’t be afraid to seek out and learn from these folks – you’ll find it valuable, I assure you. To help you connect with them, I’ve shared links to each of their Social Media profiles within each description too.

Mark Banfield

Company: Autotask

Title: Vice President International.

At the forefront of Autotask’s expansion from the US to the UK, Mark Banfield has grown Autotask’s UK operation from a handful of staff to 60+ employees based out of Richmond, London – all inside 3 years.

Whether you are based in the UK or further afield, seek out a conversation with Mark Banfield while you’re at Community Live.

What to talk to him about: Developing high performance teams, building International business units.

 

Chris Ward

Company: Vermont Systems

Title: Director

Vermont are a Southampton, UK based MSP who provide IT solutions to small businesses in the South of the UK. Chris Ward and his business partner Oliver Mackley have grown Vermont at an impressive rate, and have recently acquired another IT business to grow their client base further.

Ward is also the group lead of the Thames Valley SBSC Group – a group of MSP’s and IT Professionals who meet in Reading, Berkshire on a monthly basis to collaborate and share mutual learning.

What to talk to him about: Peer Collaboration, MSP Acquisitions.

Christie Walsh

Company: Autotask

Title: International Account Manager.

As well as managing many of Autotask’s most valuable clients in the UK, Christie Walsh and her colleagues are also responsible for organising the valuable Autotask Accelerator events that take place regularly across the UK. Free to attend for Autotask Partners and MSP’s interested in learning more about Autotask, the Accelerator events are focused training sessions which help MSP’s accelerate their learning of and make the most of a Professional Services Automation (PSA) tool in their business.

Walsh also speaks French and Spanish, and was once an English teacher at the Royal Kensington Academy.

What to talk to her about: The Autotask UK Community, Increasing your ROI with Autotask.

Michael Freeman

Company: Southern IT.

Title: Managing Director.

Southern IT are an MSP serving clients in the East Sussex area of the UK. Under Michael Freeman‘s leadership, and after implementing Autotask in 2012, they have grown their business and acquired a reputation as one of the UK’s most progressive users of the Autotask PSA system.

Southern IT are also adept at using the Autotask API system, and have built an integration module between Autotask and the Kashflow cloud-based Accounting software.

Michael Freeman also used to work for the National Trust, beginning a life long desire to help support not-for-profit organisations and charities.

What to talk to him about: The Autotask API, Integrations with 3rd party tools, Serving non-profits

Mark Cattini

Company: Autotask

Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Since taking the reigns at Autotask in December 2010, Mark Cattini has executed an International expansion plan that has seen Autotask grow into the UK, Europe, Australia and China – with more markets already on the horizon.

Born in London and now living in the United States, Cattini will be keynoting this years Community Live and if I were a betting man, I’d lay a wager that he’ll be sharing more details on the new Autotask User Interface (UI).

What to talk to him about: The future of the IT industry, The new Autotask UI.

Alistair Forbes

Company: GFI Max.

Title: General Manager.

At the helm of Remote Monitoring & Management (RMM) Vendor GFI Max from it’s earliest days as Hound-Dog Technology, and guiding the business through it’s acquisition by GFI Software, Alistair Forbes has helped to drive Dundee, Scotland based GFI Max to become not only the top RMM tool in the UK, but worldwide.

Through acquisitions, Forbes and his team are building a portfolio of solutions for MSP’s that goes well beyond RMM and into Data Backup, Anti Virus, Email Security & Business Continuity, Cloud Service provisioning and more.

What to talk to him about: Adapting to the changing landscape of the MSP market.

 

Conclusion

Although I’ve listed just six Brits, there are many more that you should seek out and talk with. I’ve long since learned that there are huge amounts of value to be gained from gaining different perspectives people across the world on what it takes to grow an business, and Autotask Community Live provides the perfect opportunity to do this.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to the Brits above and ask if you can say hello in person while in Miami, whether it be over a cup of Coffee or something stronger at the bar! I know all six of the folks above personally, and you won’t find any individuals who are more happy to give generously of their time and knowledge – you’ll be glad you’ve made the time to speak with them.

 

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