We are very happy to announce our newest addition to the sales team, Bill Ford.
With a career routed in the technology industry, Bill’s insights and strategic acumen will undoubtable accelerate our team’s growth and propel us toward new horizons.
Welcome aboard Bill!
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’moriginally from Essex. I’m quite a mix of an ingoing and outgoing person. I love to go out and meet people and do things, but at the same time one of my happy places is wrapped up on the sofa binge watching TV or films.So, a little contradiction, like most people I suppose!
Besides binge watching TV and films,I enjoy going outside on a lovely country walk in the sun – when it’s not too hot.
What did you do before joining Forge?
I’ve worked in IT and Tech Sales for 10 years. Before Forge I was at another technology company, in a very similar sales role to what I do now;I connected with the customers to help identify solutions for them that would change the way they worked. I really enjoythe aspect of helping people and helping to drive business change, helping businesses and organisations grow.
What drew you to work on tech?
I’ve always been a bit of a tech fan, a bit of a geek, and have a lot of love for tech like laptops, phones, and so on. I remember being so excited when touchscreens first came out and I got to use them for the first time, which feels odd considering how many touchscreens are around you now.
I’ve always loved the idea of how tech is constantly evolving and changes. My passion hasevolved too since being excited about laptops and mobile phones, it’s all much more complicated now, but the fundamental love for tech is still there.
What do you enjoy most from being part of the Forge team?
The people. Though it’s only been a short period so far, I knew many of the people previously and had worked with them in the past, which wasone of the reasons of my transition to Forge. So,it’s been a great opportunity to go back to work with like-minded people who care and want to put customers first, to make real solutions, to innovate, and have a little fun along the way as well.
What does an ideal workday look like for you?
My ideal workday would include as many customer conversations as possible. Part of the reason I was attracted to the sales role was the communication with people, understanding what their problems are, and helping to put solutions together for them. Rather than ‘we need a new switch’,‘we need a new laptop’, I want to understand a business’s goals. I enjoy being out talking to people, instead of typing on my laptop all day.
What about your ideal day off?
My ideal day off would be part of a week-long holiday rather than just a day off really! I’m not very good at taking individual days off. It would be somewhere on a beach or a city as far away as possible and a lot warmer than the UK. If it was only the day then it would be going to the forest or a country park, walking dogs. Getting outside basically.
What one piece of tech has changed your life?
The one that’sprobably changed my life the most is streaming services, Netflix, Apple TV, Disney+. I’m a big film and TV series geek and having everything on demand in one go is either a blessing or a curse. It’salso evolved into the corporate world with Software as a Service (SaaS), and changed the IT market. So, it’simpacted both my personal and work life.
What industry trend do you think will shape the future?
Well, the obvious answer is what will become of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning. We’re in the early days, but it feels like it’s been coming for a long time.I’m interested in where that’s going and how the newtechnology will be applied to businesses and what that means for society as a whole.
In the short term, cloud adoption and network transformation. The cloud has been around for a while and people seem to be fully embracing it and the hybrid world of it. Especially with how it links to what a network means in the hybrid workplaceas we figure out how offices fit in to our day-to-day work again. There are some early adopters who have gone back to the office full time, some two to three days a week. Overall,it will be interesting to see how the new rise in hybrid working links to the cloud.
