Page 22 - BOSS Today Issue 45

BO #45#45 60 SECOND INTERVIEW

BOSS Today SS Today
FACING THE NET

Specialist OP market researcher Martin Wilde talks to Anna Chalmers, UK & Ireland Supplies Sales Director, HP.

MW: Please can you give me a history of your patent violation, but they can also shift from even a year ago. I
career to date? prompt serious fines and a loss of think both of these trends pose
AC: I first joined HP as an industrial certification status. That’s not to challenges, but also create great
placement intern. I then re-joined mention a tarnished reputation opportunities for those office
HP as a graduate and have been with customers whose printers products dealers who are able to
lucky enough to work in a variety of can be damaged irreversibly by adapt fast enough.
roles there over the years, spanning counterfeit or imitation cartridges.
product marketing, distribution MW: HP have recently joined BOSS. Why did you
and reseller sales across the key MW: What are the greatest opportunities for decide to get involved?
categories of Print and PC - as well office products dealers in selling HP AC: HP already engages with a wide
as in both UK and EMEA-based printer supplies? range of partners, and many of the
roles. It’s been a fantastic journey. AC: Done correctly, print supplies larger BOSS resellers may already
provide a great way for office be working directly through our
MW: Which developments in your sector have products dealers to add value distributor channel and have an HP
most excited you recently? for their customers and improve Account Manager. However, one of
AC: I think one of the most exciting their bottom line. Working with the areas I am passionate about is
developments is the shift to a vendor such as HP gives office what we call ‘proximity partners’.
‘everything as a service’. Companies products dealers access to an These are typically smaller partners
and consumers are increasingly unrivalled portfolio of products selling less than $250K a year of
looking to purchase through and services - from PCs to laptops, HP original ink and toner. Via BOSS,
contracts rather than outright printers and supplies - as well as we have the opportunity to work
(transactional). We are seeing this a range of ‘go to’ market services more closely together with this
shift towards subscription models and programmes tailored to community and better understand
in all industries and customer individual partner and customer the challenges and opportunities
types: how we buy our music, films, needs. Another key area for for growth.
mobile phones and even cars has end users, which is increasingly
fundamentally changed, shifting making or breaking deals, is MW: What do you feel that HP can bring to BOSS?
towards subscription models. sustainability. Office and printing AC: I hope that BOSS dealer members
Print supplies is no different: supplies can and should play a role will be excited to get a little closer
although Managed Print Services in an organisation’s commitment to HP and hear some of the great
(MPS) has been around for a to sustainability. The use of HP innovations we are bringing to
while, it is continuing to evolve to originals, for instance, allows market, as well as the strides we
meet customer demands. HP has suppliers and their customers are making in our programmes
even applied a managed services to leverage HP’s Planet Partners around things like sustainability.
approach to its Personal Systems recycling programme, which has
business, now providing partners upcycled over 700,000 lbs of ocean- MW: Finally, please tell me something about
with a ‘Device as a Service’ (DaaS) bound plastic (including more than yourself that few others know.
offering. 25 million plastic bottles) in the AC: I am actually a qualified tennis
creation of new cartridges. coach, but if you saw me on a tennis
MW: Which developments in your sector have court you would not believe it!
most challenged you recently? MW: What are the main challenges for office
AC: Across the world, HP has products dealers in selling printer
been leading the fight against supplies?
counterfeit and imitation print AC: It’s about staying relevant in
supplies, and this is something a changing landscape. In print
that the IT channel needs to supplies, we are seeing a move
pay attention to. Not only do both to MPS and to more online
these products regularly violate transactions. A large proportion of
intellectual property, which could our ink and toner business is now
spark litigation proceedings for transacted online - a significant

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