Marc Sumner - CEO @ Robertson Sumner Ltd | Channel Chat

Channel Chat Podcast

Business EN ↓ 308 episodes

Welcome to the Channel Chat podcast – home of the podcast which has now proudly become the voice of the IT channel 🎙Since the Podcast's inception in 2019, the Channel Chat studio has hosted some of the IT channel's biggest names – with regular host, Marc Sumner, asking the questions that many others are afraid to! 🤭Numbers wise, we now reach over 15,000 listeners per episode in over 32 countries and have hosted 6 live events. Click subscribe to keep on top of all our latest content 👀

Author

Marc Sumner - CEO @ Robertson Sumner Ltd | Channel Chat

Episodes

#268 Andy Bristow: Hackers Aren't Breaking In Anymore - They're Logging In. 10.03.2026 27:03

In this episode of Channel Chat, host Marc Sumner is joined in the studio by Andy Bristow, Senior Sales Director for MSS & CSE at Sonic Wall. With nearly four decades in technology - from Digital Equipment and Compaq to cyber security and defence - Andy shares his journey through the evolution of IT and why managed security services represent one of the biggest opportunities in the channel today....

#267 Mit Patel: If you don't plan to grow, you'll stay stuck. 23.02.2026 31:38

In this episode of Channel Chat, host Marc Sumner sits down in London with Mit Patel, Founder and CEO of Assurix, to discuss building, scaling, and exiting an MSP - and why he decided to start all over again. Mit shares the real story behind founding a business at 20, the painful lessons of scaling, and what founders often get wrong about hiring, leadership and sales. The conversation also explor...

#266 Oliver Harvey-Jones: You're not just distributing product — you're distributing enablement. 16.02.2026 32:18

#265 Jamie Farrelly: They told me I couldn't lead EMEA — so I did it anyway. 02.02.2026 51:15

#264 Chris Gore: Most tech companies don't hire military talent and that's their loss. 26.01.2026 36:25

#263 Adrian Liddiard and John Schmidt: We're going into an unprecedented revenue cycle. 19.01.2026 30:05

#262 Rob Harris: I Applied for Sales Director… While I Was Still an Account Manager. 12.01.2026 26:48

In this episode of Channel Chat, Mark Sumner is joined by Rob Harris, Sales Director for Software at SCC, recorded in London. Rob shares his journey from studying English Literature to leading software sales at one of the UK's largest partners. We discuss career progression in sales, moving from individual contributor to leadership, and why putting yourself forward can change everything. Key topic...

#261 Andrew Harman: The phone stopped ringing and people stopped asking me out for lunch. 05.01.2026 37:48

#260 Olya Scekaturova: If you're comfortable, there's no growth left. 16.12.2025 31:44

#259 Laura Wilkinson: We're going to see an explosion of AI tools. 08.12.2025 34:08

#258 Spencer Starkey: Managed services isn't the future - it's here, and growing thousands of percent. 01.12.2025 36:38

#257 Adam Cathcart: AI can transform your business… or destroy your brand overnight if you get it wrong. 25.11.2025 50:08

#256 Anthony Young: Cyber threats are doubling every 12 months — we have to evolve or die. 18.11.2025 36:01

#255 Andy Readman: If you don't start with a problem, every AI tool becomes a gimmick. 10.11.2025 44:58

#254 Tom Hockton: 75% of our revenue comes through the channel. 31.10.2025 51:49

In this Channel Chat episode, Marc Sumner sits down with Tom Hockton, VP of BMC Helix UK & Ireland, to talk career growth, leadership, and channel strategy. Tom shares how he went from studying languages and working at Shanghai Radio to leading one of the most channel-driven enterprise software businesses in the UK.

#253 Lewis Pope: It's not about prevention — it's about resilience. 27.10.2025 42:31

In this episode, Marc Sumner sits down with Lewis Pope, one of the Head Nerds at Enable, to explore the evolving world of cybersecurity, Reseller and MSP challenges, and what it really means to build cyber resilience in 2025 and beyond.

#252 Paul Hamilton: Scaling a business without a single investor is possible 13.10.2025 40:20

In this episode, Marc Sumner sits down with Paul Hamilton , Founder & CEO of Halo , one of the UK's fastest-growing software companies — and the second most valuable privately-owned software company in the country.

#251 Julian Brownlow Davies: Threat actors don't wait for board approval to use AI 06.10.2025 25:07

In this episode of Channel Chat, host Marc Sumner sits down with Julian Brown-O-Davies, Global VP of Security Services at Bugcrowd, for an in-depth conversation on cyber innovation, leadership, and the evolving world of offensive security.

#250 James Anderson: You have to do AI - it's not even a debate. 29.09.2025 36:47

This week Marc sits down with James Anderson, Channel Director (International) at Abnormal AI. From starting out as a biochemistry graduate and aspiring rugby pro, James has built a career shaping channel strategies across Trend, Quest, Ivanti, Exabeam – and now Abnormal.

#249 Dan Smith: I don't want to be your partner. I want to be a division of your business. 22.09.2025 30:33

This week Marc Sumner sat down with Dan Smith, CEO of Astralis, to talk about his journey from sales leadership at Blancco to running Astralis, and the lessons he's carried along the way. They covered a lot of ground, including: • The importance of winning hearts and minds in leadership – not just giving orders. • Why sales directors should keep their toe in the game and stay relevant. • How Astra...

Channel Chat Live | September 2025 | Part 2 16.09.2025 34:53

Recorded live at Samsung KX, London, Channel Chat Live brought together 250+ C-suite execs and senior leaders from across the UK IT Channel for an evening of unfiltered debate, insights and networking. In Part 2, host Marc Sumner and our all-star panel — Neil Hall, Aine Rogers, Lyndsey Charlton, and Alistair Wildman — take questions directly from the audience and dive even deeper into the issues s...

Channel Chat Live | September 2025 | Part 1 16.09.2025 32:16

Recorded live at Samsung KX, London, Channel Chat Live brought together 250+ senior leaders, business owners and C-suite execs from across the UK IT Channel for an evening of debate, insights and networking. Host Marc Sumner was joined on stage by an all-star panel – Neil Hall, Aine Rogers, Lyndsey Charlton, and Alistair Wildman – tackling the big questions shaping the Channel. A huge thank you to...

#248 Gavin Bell: We're Not a Reseller — It's Solutions 15.09.2025 35:52

Channel Chat Podcast | Gavin Bell, CEO of Econocom — From CC "Boomerang" to Building a UK Solutions Business Recorded in London (yes, during a tube strike!), Marc sits down with Gavin Bell to unpack: Why he "boomeranged" back to Computacenter and what cultural fit really means Overlay vs. solution sales — and why the label "overlay" winds him up Moving into his first CEO role at Econocom and integ...

#247 James Cadman: The Best People in Tech Don't Come from Tech 08.09.2025 48:57

Join host Marc Sumner in the studio with James Cadman, Chief Customer Officer at Luware, for an in-depth conversation about his journey from cold-calling double glazing sales at 16 to leading global customer success in a fast-growing business.

#246 Maz Lopez: Sales and Marketing Must Work Side by Side 04.09.2025 48:18

Join Marc Sumner in the studio with Maz Lopez, Senior Channel Marketing Manager at AMD and one of our valued podcast partners. From hospital radio to the heart of tech marketing, Maz shares her journey and insights on: • How storytelling and partner collaboration bring AMD's products to life • The importance of relationship-building in a competitive tech landscape • Using AI to supercharge marketi...