One of our trusty little tweeters reliably informs us that the local subsidiary of HP Enterprise could have a new MD in the next couple of weeks. Following the departure of Pieter Bensch to join Sage as its executive VP for Africa and the Middle East from 1 November, speculation has been rife about who his replacement would be.
Rumours abounded about previous and current employees of the company, even foreign-based candidates, as possible contenders. But our little twitterer says HPE will shortly announce that Kena Setshogoe is its new MD in South Africa. Setshogoe has filled the role in an interim capacity since Bensch’s resignation.
Kena, Deep Throat swallows … ice-cold beer … and wishes you everything of the best in your new role.
… as Fourie calls time …
Another departure recently announced also took us a bit by surprise. At its AGM this month, Alviva (formerly Pinnacle) announced that founder and non-executive chairman, Arnold Fourie, is leaving the distribution group.
Fourie founded Pinnacle nearly 25 years ago and has been responsible for growing the group into the largest distributor in the country with revenues of more than R12-billion.
In a statement, Alviva says: “It is Arnold’s view that the succession planning has been successfully implemented with a management team and Board that is capable of taking the Alviva group to new heights. Although we will greatly miss all of Arnold’s wisdom, experience and counsel, the appointment of an independent nonexecutive Chairperson will further strengthen the independence of the Board.”
No news as yet on who the new chairperson might be, but we will, Dear Reader, keep you abreast of developments
Meanwhile, Arnold, Deep Throat swallows … beer for us, cooldrink for you … and hopes that all your wishes for the future are fulfilled.
… and we get a blast from the past
Speaking of long-standing execs in the channel, Deep Throat got a very pleasant blast from the past when we answered our (landline) phone the other day.
On the other end of the line, and all the way from the UK, was none other than Buddie Cerone, one of the true characters, gentlemen and professionals within the vendors during a bygone era when the channel was king.
Buddie was MD of a number of multinational vendors back in the 1990s, ranging from 3Com to Avaya, and was always available to the press for a quick quote, an opinion or simply some chit-chat. He’s been in the UK for 16 years now – we were taken aback that it’s that long since we last spoke – and has been working closely with Westcon around the globe. He’s also turned his hand to consulting to budding entrepreneurs and companies looking to gain a foothold in the UK or Europe.
And how did he get our details and decide to give us a call?
He tells us that a friend in Europe sent him a link to Chanelwise’s 20th anniversary issue after spotting pictures of him in it! And to think, some of our so-called competitors call us irrelevant!
Anyway, Buddie, Deep Throat swallows again … loadsa beer to the memories … and looks forward to creating more with you in the very near future.
Pic of the Month: For whom the bell tolls …
The Trusty Salesmen in the office thought they had the perfect wind-up for Esteemed Editor with this month’s submission of sales bells at one of their local customers.
The pic is pretty self-explanatory, but from time immemorial, the tradition of ringing of a bell in the sales office to announce a big deal has always been something to relish. Especially if you are the salesperson with some commission to look forward to.
We couldn’t help but wonder, though, just how frequently the bells pictured are rung in the current economic climate. Everyone in the channel is in complete agreement that we’re going through “one of the quietest periods ever.”
As EE entered the sales office to select a Pic of the Month, Trusty GM opened the baiting: “Maybe we should get a sales bell for this office,” he smiled. The resultant look from EE has floored lesser mortals. “What?” he barked. “So that you can ring it to stop the fists flying?” “No, no,” replied Trusty GM. “For genuine sales.”
EE glared at him again and then held up a finger. “Maybe you’re right,” as Trusty GM and Trusty Salesmen smirked. “I’ll just have to dig through my Christmas tree decorations for one of those miniature ones. That should be sufficient for you lot.” He turned on his heel, muttering and smiling to himself. For whom the bell tolls, indeed.