Exertis has confirmed that its chief digital and marketing officer Vishal Chhatralia is to move into a new role to drive the distributor’s global digital transformation.

Chhatralia will carry out a similar but on a global scale, as he looks to boost Exertis Group international business.

He will report to DCC Technology managing director Tim Griffin.

Chhatralia joined the business in 2019, initially with the aim of developing digital capabilities within the UK business, which included cloud, direct2consumer, data analytics and robotic process automation.

“This move will enhance and accelerate our digital transformation across the Exertis Group,” said Griffin.

“Vishal has successfully built blueprints for many initiatives in the UK and now we begin the process of scaling these out. I wish Vish every success in his new role.”

Structural changes

The distributor has also created the new role of chief experience officer, with Paul Turner moving into this new position. Prior to this he was global head of voice of the customer.

This new role will require him to ‘deliver a seamless customer experience across all stages and touchpoints in the customer journey’.

Turner will also take responsibility for customer services and sales operations.

Other structural changes will see UK marketing director Robert Fitzsimons and purchasing director Kati Eagle report to UK managing director Paul Bryan.

It’s been just over two years since formerly Marlow-based distributor Data Select was acquired by Westcoast.

At the time, the company said it would continue operating as an independent distributor, with Westcoast acquiring 100 per cent shares of the business.

A key reason for the acquisition was down to Data Select’s relationship with South Korean giants Samsung, said Westcoast Group financial director Sunil Madhani at the time.

Since the acquisition in September 2019, a lot has happened. The world has been battling against a pandemic, while industries and businesses have began to rebuild and recover this year.

Mobile News talked to Matt Pasco, sales director at Data Select, to catch up on the past couple of years and see how life has been post-Westcoast acquisition.

How has the business adapted and changed since the Westcoast takeover? 

From the point of acquisition in 2019, we have strived to ensure continuity for our customers, brand partners and colleagues.

It was important as a business that we continued the great levels of service, knowledge and channel engagement that the business was renowned for, but further enhanced with the financial leverage and stability of the UK’s fastest-growing privately held IT business.

We moved onto new platforms and systems, our team moved into Westcoast’s office in Theale, and our supply chain capability was strengthened. All of this was executed as seamlessly as possible for our customers.

This collaboration continues to be incredibly exciting for all involved, reflected in the immense growth experienced in the last year alone.

We have developed a leading position within the B2B mobile reseller channel, grown our share within all our tier-one brand partners and experienced overall growth alongside many of our B2B resellers.

We have also rapidly grown within retail, winning multiple high-street and online customers in 2021.

Through a laser focus on execution, investing in our mobile solutions capability and adding resource into the business, we are on track to double revenues this year.

How has the company been able to work through the pandemic?

We were able to pivot fast as we all faced fundamental changes to doing business and rapidly moved to a fully operational working- from-home (WFH) model.

Putting our suppliers, customers and colleagues at the forefront of what we do, we were able to continue delivering the great levels of service we have become known for and keep products flowing. We were fortunate to still grow throughout this period, as the mobile technology we offer saw an increase in demand.

We remained incredibly resilient, which we believe was true of distribution as a whole.

Does the pandemic highlight how reliant businesses are on technology? 

Absolutely – and while no one predicted the pandemic, we were already at a point where we were well-equipped. Digital transformation within the channel was well under way already, but this was dramatically expedited, driving demand for mobile technology.

As end users were forced to transact online, e-commerce surged, along with the entire supply-chain infrastructure sat behind it. This increased the need for mobile devices, whether a rugged smartphone or tablet deployed for use in the warehouse, transportation or logistics networks, or simply the latest smartphone, tablet or laptop for users to work from home.

Ultimately, this also drove the need to manage and secure these fleets of mobile devices, with mobile device management increasing in importance.

How significant is your relationship with Samsung, as one of your big partners?

Samsung remains hugely important to each and every one of us at Data Select.

Personally, I have worked in distribution for 20 years and it’s the strongest relationship I have experienced.

We collaborate daily across every interface to ensure we grow and succeed together, from senior leadership to sales, marketing, and the commercial, vendor and finance areas, ensuring we leverage every opportunity. We support the entire Samsung mobile ecosystem.

Our certified Samsung distribution status and solutions partner of the year award highlight our deep partnership approach, as we truly act as an extension of their brand and all that Samsung wants to achieve within the channel.

What’s the importance of the distributor in today’s world? 

We remain an integral growth engine, sat firmly between our brand partners, and reaching and developing a comprehensive network of B2B resellers, retailers and e-commerce businesses.

The need to add value, enhance margins and create points of differentiation remains firmly at the heart of our promise to bring together and simplify mobile technology.

Whether through best-in-class marketing execution, imparting mobile solutions knowledge or acting as an extension of our brand partners to reach a depth of customer they can’t support alone, distribution remains an integral part of a collaborative partnership.

Is Data Select satisfied with its current vendor partner list, or is it looking to add more? 

Our strength remains in our “narrow and deep” focus for the brands that we partner with. We remain open to all opportunities, but they must be accretive to the value we bring our customers and the brand partner itself.

Naturally, we have access to Westcoast’s brands and work closely with them where we see opportunities for all parties.

What are the big opportunities in mobile in the coming years?

Not that we were ever in any doubt, but the events of the past two years have further highlighted the increasing demand for the very mobile technology we deliver, alongside the software and services to make the most of it.

The rhetoric for a ‘work from anywhere’ mindset is here to stay and will permeate society with more and more businesses needing to flex to this approach and provide the tools and infrastructure to support it. The need for secure and robust devices that can withstand knocks and spills will continue as supply chains look for enhanced efficiencies and productivity tools to equip field workers.

The always-on connectivity of everything from smartphones to tablets to laptops, and the need to secure and manage these devices will only increase – and whether that is served by the mobile or IT channel, or a blend, will be interesting.

We remain enthusiastic about the industry we serve, with a laser focus on being the best mobile-centric distribution partner for both the mobile and IT channel. We go into 2022 with much optimism and hungry for growth.

Genuine Solutions has undergone a restructure, with all three companies merging to become one.

Live from today (October 29), Genuine Solutions Group, GSUK and GSL have merged to become Genuine Solutions.

The restructure and rebrand was due to take place last year to commemorate the 15^th anniversary, but was put on hold due to the pandemic, says Genuine Solutions CEO Christian McBride.

Genuine Solutions specialises in the recovery and redistribution of stock.

McBride told Mobile News that the company is keen to put the environment at the forefront of its strategy.

“To reflect this shifting world and to continue our success over the next 15 years, we’ve built on our ambition to create a strategy for the future, with one that embraces the circular economy to eliminate waste.

“We will transition this planet first approach throughout everything we do into one brand, growing our reputation as sustainable stockists and distributors.”

To date, Genuine Solutions has recovered and redistributed over 90 million products, with the firm targeting the 100 million milestone.

Earlier this year the company was awarded silver at the Global Good Awards – an event that focus on the environment – for its circular economy model.

Exertis UK has appointed an experienced senior IT leader as its new IT director for service operations.

The distributor has appointed Cath O’Neil to the role, with O’Neill joining from Odeon Cinema Group, where she was the head of the IT department.

She will be responsible for the service desk, desktop services, infrastructure services and the implementation of ITIL standards across Exertis UK.

O’Neil boasts over 25 years experience in the IT transformation and service delivery sector, working in various IT roles at places including Adviser Plus, Styles & Wood Group PLC and Trafford Housing Trust.

She will report to Exertis’ UK IT director Liz Greenwood and will be based at Exertis’ national distribution centre in Burnley.

Greenwood has welcomed the appointment of O’Neil, and says she ‘will play a lead role in defining a number of upcoming IT projects’.

Exertis has appointed Sam Williams as its director of sales for B2B.

Williams has been with the distributor for 15 years, working in both retail and B2B roles.

Prior to his appointment as director of sales for B2B, he was director of sales (accessories and own brand) for the past 18 months.

Williams will be based at Exertis’ Basingstoke office and report to chief sales officer Mike Buley.

Commenting on his appointment Williams said: “We have a great foundation to work from with an ambitious, talented and highly experienced team.

“Exertis is a fast moving and dynamic business and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Data Select has been chosen by Bullitt Group to be the UK launch partner for the new Motorola Defy smartphone.

The distributor has been chosen to distribute the rugged handset to the channel.

It is the latest addition to Bullitt Group’s expanding range of rugged smartphones that are offered by Data Select, which includes the Cat S42 H+ and the Cat B40.

Motorola’s Defy is dust, waterproof (up to 1.5m for 35 mins) and drop proof (up to 1.8m on any side or corner).

It features a 48MP sensor with Quad Pixel technology, a battery that Data Select claims lasts for two days on a single charge, plus 4GB of RAM.

Data Select head of vendor management Kelly Cowan-Johnson said: “The new device adds diversity to our existing CAT smartphone line-up and other rugged Android devices, allowing us to reach a new customer demographic, fully supported by our experienced team of specialists.”

The SRP for the Motorola Defy is £279.

Phoenix Cellular has announced the appointment of Nigel Whitehead as its new director of business development.

He joins the refurbished and used mobile phones distributor after leaving rugged manufacturer Bullitt Group in April.

An industry veteran of over 20 years, Whitehead has also worked for Sony Mobile, Siemens, Verve Connect, Kondor and Ora Telecom during his career.

He joins Crewe-based Phoenix Cellular, who were founded in 2015 by Marc and Paul Walters plus Andrew Dulla.

Since then the business has exceeded turnover of £50m, as the firm processes more than 40,000 used mobile phones per month.

Phoenix Cellular director Andrew Dulla said the appointment of Whitehead will enable Phoenix to continue growing.

“The appointment of Nigel is only going to accelerate us further and I look forward to working with him for a very long time.”

Commenting on his new role, Whitehead said the decision to join was an easy one.

“They are an established market leader in the refurbished devices sector, and their knowledge, entrepreneurism, and genuine passion in what they do, meant the opportunity to join was just too exciting to turn down.

“I think that with my 20+ years of experience in the mobile business, I can certainly help them meet and exceed their growth expectations

Brightstar has confirmed that its UK business remains unaffected despite its decision to pull out of the Swedish market following a bitter tax dispute.

The distributor announced its intention to formally withdraw from Sweden after 45 years in the region, after being accused of a tax scam by the Swedish Tax Agency (STA).

In a statement, Brightstar Corp CEO Rod Millar said the company has lost trust in the Swedish authorities and courts, citing “unfair and discriminatory” treatment.

The STA is seeking a $35 million VAT payment from Brightstar. This stems from Brightstar’s dealings with a supplier that was working with another supplier that hadn’t paid all of its tax to the authorities.

Brightstar has denied any involvement with regard to tax fraud and insisted it has always paid VAT to the authorities. However, the STA has alleged that Brightstar “was aware or should have been aware of a tax scam perpetrated by another company”.

In Sweden, it is common to pay fines before cases are heard, although Brightstar had initially agreed for the payment to be deferred until after court proceedings after being awarded a right to appeal.

However, the Swedish courts performed a U-turn on this after speaking to the STA again, and disallowed Brightstar’s VAT reclaim.

Statement

In a statement, Millar said: “We have not taken this decision lightly, but we feel we have no alternative following the discriminatory treatment that Brightstar has suffered at the hands of the Swedish authorities.

“Brightstar has done nothing wrong and has acted in good faith throughout.

“As a result, we feel that we cannot conduct business in Sweden as we do not trust receiving a fair treatment by the authorities and courts, despite a successful track record in the country for almost half a century.”

Brightstar intends to wind down its operations in Sweden in the coming weeks, but does expect to still operate in other Nordic markets.

Millar added: “Brightstar Sweden will do what it can to protect creditors, suppliers, customers and employees, whilst at the same time the decisions will be appealed in the Swedish Courts. Brightstar’s global operations will be unaffected by this move and for them it is business as usual.”

Exertis is facing a £6.6 million payout to former employee Kieran Sidhu, who has won a case against the Basingstoke IT and mobile distributor for racial discrimination, harassment, unfair dismissal and breach of contract.

If successful, it will be the biggest award ever granted by an Industrial Tribunal, dwarfing the current highest award of £4.7 million for a similar case against the Royal Bank of Scotland.

A 50,000-word judgment by Southampton Industrial Tribunal exposed a culture at Exertis of racial discrimination and sexual bullying at odds with the company’s much- publicised philosophy of diversity, inclusion and tolerance.

The case was heard in 2019, but the judgment was delayed due to the pandemic and released on May 19. A Remedial Hearing is scheduled for July 21 to decide the award and will consider medical reports from Sidhu’s doctors and Exertis’ expert witnesses. A decision on the size of the payout will follow around two months later.

Lord Of The Flies

Sidhu’s lawyer, Lawrence Davies of Equal Justice Solicitors, said the case was probably one of the worst examples of constructive dismissal he had ever come across.

“It was extraordinary. It was Lord Of The Flies level of group condemnation. Exertis’ only defence could be that they took all reasonable steps to prevent discrimination. That it happened shows they did not. In law, anything done in course of employment is considered to have been done by the employer with their permission.”

The Tribunal panel heard details of more than 300 allegations of harassment against Sidhu by his manager and co-workers. Respondents named in the judgment are Glynn Smith, Stuart Smith, John Cleary and Doug Spendlove.

The Tribunal ruled it did not have jurisdiction to decide Sidhu’s claim against Spendlove because Sidhu had taken too long to formalise his complaint.

Sidhu was described to the Tribunal as a Christian Sikh of mixed Scottish and Indian descent. His £6.6 million claim is based on a medical assessment that his experience at Exertis has left him psychologically damaged and unable to work.

Damages

The claim includes future losses (£1,676,319), employer pension contributions (£97,025), unlawful deduction of wages (£5,574), failure to comply with the ACAS Code of Practice (£922,470), injury to feelings (£42,000), personal injury (£108,000), and special damages for future care and assistance (£605,400).

Sidhu had previously worked at Vodafone. He claimed unfair dismissal, race discrimination, discrimination on the grounds of religion, discrimination on the grounds of disability, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender reassignment discrimination.

He also brought claims of victimisation and unauthorised deduction from wages. In addition, he brought claims of non-payment of holiday pay and breach of contract.

He kept a diary of the alleged abuses, which the Tribunal described as “largely accurate”, and used his phone to record conversations after a manager told him to “f*** off” in a meeting.

Culture

Sidhu joined Exertis in 2012 as a Plantronics brand manager, with Matthew Rumsey as his line manager. The Tribunal heard evidence of a culture in his workgroup of around 16 people of “crude sexual innuendo”.

The Tribunal found that “express sexual reference was considered entertaining. To fit into the culture, it was necessary to enter into jokes and discussions of that nature.”

Sidhu refuted claims that there was too much noise going on around him to hear any remarks and testified that it was easy to hear conversations because “most people did not make anywhere near 25 phone calls per day” (which was his target).

Tribunal

The Tribunal noted: “We have seen photographs and video of a person simulating intercourse with a blow-up doll, photographs and video of a person simulating taking drugs, a photograph of a straw hat with a large label around the brim stating, “I LOVE D**K”, a photograph of Vaseline being sent by email with the caption “ouch! – Time to man up”, a photograph of a man (John Cleary, whilst clothed) trying on ladies’ underwear in the office, a mock business card created for Mr Rumsey headed “Manwhore2door” and stating “Have c*** will travel…No fatties, NoGingers Threesomes welcome…all holes filled or your money back, an email with a link to a picture of a woman in a bikini who was suggested to be the claimant’s replacement.”

Evidence rejected 

Rumsey denied that there was a “puerile culture loaded with sexual innuendo”. The Tribunal rejected Rumsey’s evidence and said Rumsey was only interested in the welfare of his team if it concerned meeting sales targets.

Among the insults levelled at Sidhu were jibes that he was a “shoe bomber”, a “truffle pig” and that he had a “Syrian temperament”. Other emails and verbal insults contained the ‘C’ word.

The Tribunal’s judgment continued: “When the Claimant came in late (due to caring for his disabled father before work) his team members would all stand up and clap, yet this would not happen for other team members when they were regularly late. We do not accept the evidence that everyone was clapped if they were late.”

On one occasion, Rumsey asked Sidhu if he was on drugs. Sidhu told him he was tired due to looking after his father. Sidhu recorded in his diary that Rumsey told him to “F****** sort it out”.

The Tribunal added: “Mr Rumsey’s general concern would be to ensure that sales were being made and would not be particularly sympathetic to personal difficulties.”

The Tribunal rejected Rumsey’s claim that Sidhu was “waffling and was trying to blame and discredit other members of the team”.

Exertis response 

Exertis said: “Two of the four men named at the centre of the investigation left the business some years ago when this claim was first raised. As soon as the final tribunal judgment was made, Exertis took legal advice and the two individuals who remained with the business left.”

Exertis has announced a new sales team called Exertis One, as the distributor has also unveiled a dedicated online hub to provide specialised support to the custom installation and smart technology markets.

The new team will support both new and existing customers in expanding their proficiency and offering in the custom installation market.

Exertis says this will provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for companies providing installed CI/AV  (custom installation) and home automation solutions.

Exertis’ new team will provide professional support to installers, specifiers, consultants, contractors, CEDIA members, independents, and smart home specialists.

Major brands

Its portfolio will include major brands from consumer and domestic networking, smart home, audio visual, and smart energy.

Commenting on the launch of the Exertis One team, Exertis consumer commercial director Caroline Hope said: “We are bringing together the best brands and solutions to present to this vibrant channel, and our knowledgeable and dedicated team stands ready to assist on all brand and technical enquiries.

“The reality is that our custom install and smart tech customers will now only need one account manager to be able to access a broad array of experience, and complementary iconic brands.”

A range of technology products will be pushed by the new Exertis in emerging markets.

This range includes outdoor technology, CCTV, smart security and smart doorbells, while Exertis will be working with a number of brands including Sonos, Swann, Hive, Devolo and Google Nest.

“The focus of our dedicated team will be to expand the portfolio and revenue potential of each customer, and to add opportunity and value to each of their businesses in this sector,” added Exertis retail director of sales Jon Sutherland.