01732 759725 20 Howard MacKinnon, Channel Learning & Sales Development Manager, Indirect Channel, Canon UK&I, shares details of his life in print, what he’s learned, and the highs and the lows of our unique and challenging industry My life in print INTERVIEW Howard MacKinnon PrintIT Reseller (PITR): What was your first job in print? Howard MacKinnon (HMK): My first job in print was in 1998 when I joined Canon. I started out working in the consumables department ordering toner and then worked in various back-office departments including service billing, order management, call control and credit control before moving on to my first customer-facing role as a Customer Trainer for our hardware products. From that, I moved on to work in our corporate & international accounts team supporting our larger customers with review meetings, new device rollouts and regular reviews. I moved into our indirect channel in 2008 as a Sales Development Executive supporting our partners in Scotland to help promote the Canon brand within their business. Then in 2014 I made the move South of the border to continue the Sales Development Executive role with some of our larger partners. In 2021 I moved into my current role being responsible for the learning & development for our partners across the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands as well as our internal channel team. I also look after a team of Sales Development Executives who are based around the UK&I. PITR: What led you to enter the sector? Did you choose print by design, or accident? HMK: It was a complete accident. My background had been in retail, one of my customers who then went on to become my driving instructor was working at Canon as part of the admin team and she suggested the role for me. I never for a minute imagined that I would still be here 28 years later. PITR: What excites you most about working in print today? HMK: I think the print industry is ever evolving and the products are always being developed to ensure that they stay up to date with what the market requires. We have seen such a huge change in recent years with digital transformation, hybrid working, security and sustainability etc. It never ceases to amaze me how our products and solutions can support and help our customers in all business sectors. Thinking back to when I started, it was an analogue box that sat in the corner to make photocopies on. It’s been such an exciting journey to be part of. PITR: And what are the biggest frustrations or challenges? HMK: I think my main frustration is that I always want what is best for the customer and to be able to solve everyone’s problems. With the market changes and current economic climate, many businesses are now focusing only on price, and at times, it’s trying to ensure that they see the benefit in the products and the bigger picture of how they can actually help their business. PITR: What (or who) do you think has had the greatest impact in the sector in recent years? HMK: There is no question it must be COVID and hybrid working, as I mentioned this has heavily impacted print volumes and also the fleets of devices that are required on many customer sites. From a learning & development point of view, this was also a huge turning point as many of our partners now see the value in soft skills training for their internal teams. PITR: If you could speak directly to someone who inspired or challenged you most in your career, what would you want to say to them today? HMK: I think the only words are… ‘Thank You’. I have worked with many people over the years; colleagues, managers, partners and customers, and faced many challenges, but then without the challenges, we do not need to find a solution. I always think that it’s such a great feeling to have overcome a problem and accomplished something. I am like a sponge always wanting to learn and there is no better way to learn than from people and their experiences.
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