Northamber founder David Phillips passes away
The founder of Northamber has sadly died after suffering a short illness
One of the legends of the channel who was one of the founding fathers of distribution in the UK, David Phillips, has sadly died.
His time leading Northamber saw him at the helm in both the boom years of the channel and some of the tougher times when margins dropped to single digits.
He sadly passed away on 4 December after suffering a short illness at the age of 74.
Geoff Walters, acting chairman of Northamber, said that the entire business had been touched by the news and sympathies had been passed to David's wife and children.
"We were extremely saddened to learn of the passing of David. Everyone at the Company acknowledges the significant contribution David made to the development and leadership of the Company since he founded Northamber in 1980. Our thoughts are with David's family at this difficult time," he said.
Some former Northamber staffers took to social media to share some of their memories of David Phillips.
Jared Cary, who worked at Northamber for several years before joining IBM, shared his thoughts on LinkedIn.
"He launched so many careers and although he divided opinion and said it as he saw it he helped me tremendously. I joined Northamber aged 17 and owe him and the Northamber family so much.I argued with him regularly, I laughed with him often but I learned from him daily. He was and still is a huge influence on my life and I will miss him," he stated.
Many commented on the post echoing the important role that Phillips played in the development of the UK channel and the influence he had over the business he founded.
On a personal note I always found a call from David or a face to face meeting was one that kept me on my toes and he had a fearsome reputation of not suffering any fools. His industry knowledge was immense and his impact on distribution and the UK channel is one that rightly has gone down in history. At a charity event that he invited me too I saw a kinder side and when he discussed his children it was clear there was more than just a business brain but also a heart at work as well.
Many in senior positions in the industry went through Northamber in their formative years and learnt their trade under the direction of David and other senior Northamber executives and that legacy is also an incredible important one.
