Channel roundup: Who's gone where?

Forget Christmas parties and worrying about what the choose for Secret Santa if you work in the HR department. Even with Christmas just a few weeks away there continues to be movement in the channel as firms make sure they have the right line-up in 2019.

ONI
The Luton-based IT services player has reshuffled its operations with staff moving into fresh positions. Co-founder and former CEO Mark Collins take over all operations as CTO. Trevor Mockett takes up a new appointment as CED (Customer Experience Director) and Co-founder Kevin Kivlochan takes over as the new CEO with his previous departments of sales and marketing, along with finance, reporting into him. “Since the introduction of our Business Assured customer strategy almost two years ago, we have seen a significant shift in types of customer that see value in us. Our move to focus more on service quality and what we are good at has seen our customer-base improve, leading to stronger sales growth. Year-on-year sales grew 25% in FY18 with recurring revenues also up 55%," said Kivlochan.

DMSL
The broadband and comms player is deepening the support it can offer in the North with the appointment of a former BT staffer, Ruth Hickman in the newly-created post of Channel Account Manager. She will give support to resellers, in particular recruiting managed services partners. “We see excellent growth potential in the north and Ruth has the experience, the knowledge and the contacts to make the most of the opportunity. The hunger for faster, dedicated connections than can cope with the growth in data being moved on is rising fast. As the northern economy continues to thrive and develop, we will need to work with more partners in the region and with Ruth taking up this pivotal role,” said John Carter, managing director of DMSL.

Silver Peak
The SD-WAN specialist has announced a number of senior appointments that come on the heels of local management and channel hires that are designed to strengthen the business. Ken Laversin, become chief revenue officer, Kathleen Swift, become a senior vice president, Human Resources and Rick Valentine, will be chief customer officer. “To be number one, we must move quickly and aggressively to seize the day. Seasoned leaders with proven track records like Ken, Kathleen and Rick will enable us to rapidly expand our go-to-market, scale our organisation and deliver the highest quality of experience to our customers, underscoring our commitment to winning in the market," said David Hughes, founder and chief executive officer of Silver Peak.

Exertis
The distributor has announced the appointment of Howard Ingleby to the newly created position of programme director for the UK and Ireland, reporting to Richard Hinds, chief operating officer. In this role, Ingleby will be responsible for managing change and delivery of key strategic and infrastructure projects as the business continues along its transformation path to meet the growing and evolving needs of a rapidly expanding organisation. “Managing change is a key process for all organisations and requires detailed planning, a methodical approach and engagement with different functions. Howard has extensive programme director and Programme Management Office experience gained in a variety of industry sectors. He is ideally placed to lead and successfully implement the projects we plan to deliver, which will further improve productivity and efficiencies throughout our organisation, in addition to enhancing customer experience,” said Hinds.

EIP
The law firm has turned to former BT staffer Pete Wilson to come on board as a partner. In his former role he was senior patent attorney at the telco firm and will be bringing that expertise to bear in his latest position. “I am excited to join EIP. I have been following their work for many years and have always been impressed by their handling of complex issues across a wide array of industries. I look forward to being a part of their team and helping the firm’s patent department to continue to grow and flourish," he said.