In last month’s column we asked in a tongue-in-cheek headline what was going on at Pinnacle following the departure of three senior execs: Trevor van Zyl, Max Stone and Greg Pothitos.
Well, Pinnacle CEO Tim Humphreys-Davies was quick to respond to our gossip which he felt might “give the wrong impression”. He stressed that all was good at one of the country’s largest distributors.
“Pinnacle just closed off the most successful period in a long time, gaining some good share in certain key markets with physical layer infrastructure business having a stellar year and our enterprise business really gaining traction, especially our Nutanix business,” Humphreys-Davies says. “We’re in a closed period, so we can’t give too much insight.”
Humphreys-Davies then clarified the reasons behind the trio of execs leaving the business.
“Trevor van Zyl left Pinnacle for personal reasons,” he explains. “This happens from time to time and any business needs fresh blood to drive the business. Our team is exceptionally talented and the fact that we continue to win numerous vendor awards, Channelwise Awards etc, shows this. We also had a hugely successful Techscape at Sun City recently and we are growing a new generation of future leaders.”
One of our reliable little tweeters, by the way, informs us that Van Zyl has now joined Mustek.
Humphreys-Davies continues: “Max Stone did great things for Pinnacle and he felt it was time to move back to a vendor and follow his passion, which is product. We wish him very well and nothing untoward or sinister should be drawn from the fact that two execs left at the same time. It happens occasionally and does not reflect that the business is under any pressure.”
He says that Pothitos followed the same route as Stone. “Very much the same with Greg,” he says. “He always wanted to be at a vendor and the right opportunity came along at the right time for him.”
Tim, Deep Throat swallows … loadsa beer … and thanks you for enlightening us … also, for confirming that some of our little twitterers out in the channel are as “unimpeachable” as ever.
Andy Robb leaving Duxbury
We learned this month with a bit of a shock that one of our favourite channel techies – and, in our opinion, one of the best enterprise techies in the country – Andy Robb is leaving Duxbury Networking after 17 years at the company. Over a beer or three at one of Deep Throat’s dark and dingy locals, Andy explained that his resignation from Duxbury was “totally amicable”, and that after nearly two decades – most of it as CTO – he simply felt it was time for a “new challenge”. He’s taking a bit of a sabbatical during a handover period and says he has already been approached “by a couple of corporates”. Having said that, Andy is nothing if not a dyed –in-the-wool channel man and hopes to remain so. We’re sure it will only be a matter of time before he is back in the fold!
Andy, Deep Throat once again swallows … loadsa beer … and looks forward to a few cold ones again during your short break before getting back to the coalface!
New blood at Oracle
Colleague Kathy G quite literally stumbled across the new MD of Oracle at one of its Academy ceremonies a couple of weeks back. They had kept the appointment pretty quiet, but we’re glad to report that Kathy’s discovery was enough to get the international PR people to issue an official announcement the very next day. Niral Patel, formerly MD of Hitachi Data Systems SA and public sector director at Microsoft SA, is now officially Oracle South Africa’s MD and Technology Leader. He will, says the press statement, be responsible for accelerating the adoption of Oracle Cloud solutions, identifying new growth opportunities and enhancing engagement with key stakeholders in South Africa.
“Niral joins Oracle at a pivotal time, when we have introduced our latest cloud innovations in South Africa to support the various digital transformation initiatives undertaken by enterprise, SMBs and public sector entities looking to drive efficiency and achieve better ROI,” says Cherian Varghese, vice-president and MD – Africa at Oracle. “Niral brings with him a wealth of industry experience and is ideally placed to grow Oracle’s business in South Africa. We are confident that under his leadership, Oracle will emerge as the preferred cloud vendor in the country.”
Niral, once again Deep Throat swallows … more beer … and wishes you every success in your new role!
.
Pic of the Month: Capping a great day …
Thanks for this month’s contribution to Pic of the Month, Reon, seeing as Zed and “Bokkie” J let us down by not sending their versions of the photo! On 6 July, Heino Kuhn made his long-awaited test debut for the Proteas at Lords against England and was presented with his number 96 cap. Not many people will know it, but Werner Kuhn – he of Rectron, Corex and now TP-Link fame – is Heino’s elder brother and he, along with some family and friends, met at what could soon be the Kyalami Local to watch the first day’s play. Esteemed Editor, always full of surprises, felt it was appropriate with Heino being presented with his first cap that Werner should receive the same kind of accolade for his fervent support of his “kleinboet” through the years. EE has been to Lords and handed over one of the many mementoes he has collected – a genuine Lords cap. “It’ll save Heino having to splash out on one, especially with the exchange rate,” EE quipped as the assembled group insisted that a record of the handover be captured.