peterschreiber.media - stock.ado

News

Neil Hall joins Focus Group as CEO

Computacenter veteran starts fresh challenge, and is joined by a couple of board appointments

Simon Quicke
By
Published: 06 Jan 2025 16:45

After more than two decades at Computacenter, Neil Hall has moved to Focus Group to take up the reins as CEO.

Hall spent 23 years at the channel giant, most recently as president of its North American operation, where he helped deliver growth and make a contribution to its global balance sheet. He moves to a firm that’s looking to grow the business by bringing on board a number of channel veterans.

As well as Hall, Focus has added further industry expertise in the form of previous CEO of content and cloud Peter Sweetbaum as chairman. Sweetbaum is able to lean on expertise in IT and cloud services, as well as help Focus enhance its own position in those areas.

In addition, the firm has welcomed Chris Morris, who currently serves as CEO of Citation, as non-executive director.

Citation specialises in compliance and HR services, and Morris’s market knowledge and business acumen will benefit an ambitious Focus boardroom. The Scotland-based channel player works with a range of household names, including Dell, Cisco, HP, Avaya, Mitel and Microsoft.

The firm employs more than 1,100 experts supporting 29,000 businesses with telecoms, IT, security, connectivity, and mobile technology and services.

“I’m excited to join Focus Group at this pivotal moment in its evolution,” said Hall. “The company has built an impressive foundation in business technology solutions, and I see tremendous opportunities to accelerate our growth while deepening the value we deliver to customers. With our strengthened board and talented team, we are well-positioned to become the partner of choice for organisations navigating their digital journeys.”

Next phase of growth

Focus backer Hg Capital stated the trio of appointments was a positive development, and would support the firm in its next phase of growth.

Focus Group showed its appetite for expansion late last year, making the move for managed service player Prism in November.

The deal added 50 staff servicing more than 6,000 users throughout the UK. It also bolstered the range of managed services, including security and workspace, that could be offered by Focus.

The start of the year is often a moment when ambitious channel firms dip their toes into the M&A waters, but it’s clear that expertise is valued, and firms are looking to secure growth through leadership moves.

The Focus Group moves can be added to the announcement earlier today from fellow MSP FluidOne to bring in a fresh chief financial officer.

Both firms are looking at growth opportunities across 2025, and have identified leadership candidates with two decades-plus experience as the ideal choices to make a positive difference.

Read more on Salesforce Management