Specialism: Unified comms
Key vendors: Zoom, Neat, Yealink, HP | Poly, AudioCodes, Oracle, Pexip
Revenue: £68.8m (-8%)
Active reseller/MSP base: Over 600
This unified comms specialist has “massively evolved” since it split from Nuvias’ cybersecurity business in 2022, its CEO Joel Chimoindes told IT Channel Oxygen in August as he talked up its software and services reinvention.
The Zoom and Yealink ally has “experienced challenging market conditions in line with other businesses in the UK UC distribution sector”, parent company Rigby Group said in its recently published financial report for its year to 31 March 2025. Nuvias UC’s revenues for the period fell 8% to £68.8m.
“We are encouraged by the strength of the new management team and the strategic course of action being undertaken to deliver growth for the upcoming financial year,” Rigby Group added of the business, however.
“We’ve seen great success with Zoom this year”
Quickfire Q&A with CEO Joel Chimoindes
What’s your top priority over the next 12 months?
We’re continuing to accelerate the growth of our Software & Services divisions. To support this, we’ll be introducing new services to the channel, making it easier for our partners to capitalise on market trends and demand, especially within the cloud communications market.
We’re also prioritising the deployment of AI automation across our business to enhance efficiency and deliver an even better experience for our customers. I’m excited to see these initiatives take shape over the next year.”
What’s the most under-rated facet of your business?
Behind every great customer experience is a team of dedicated people who keep the engine of our business running. Our finance and operations teams, along with others working behind the scenes, play a crucial role in ensuring everything runs smoothly. Their commitment to maintaining strong processes creates meaningful impact for our customers and supports our vendors. We couldn’t do what we do without them.
Name a vendor or technology area that’s been a hit for you in 2025
We’ve seen great success with Zoom this year. They’ve refined their channel strategy and adapted their approach to better serve partners. Their ongoing investment in the channel reinforces a clear strategic direction and their pace of innovation is impressive. As their #1 distributor, we’ve played a key role in bringing these advancements to market – an effort that’s led to the migration of 250,000 seats, the sale of 6 million licenses last month and a double-digit growth QoQ.
Are you expecting to grow in this calendar year?
Our software, services, and value hardware business are expected to continue growing by over 20%. It’s no surprise that volume hardware will remain a more challenging area due to ongoing market conditions.
What distribution news story most grabbed your attention in 2025?
The Exertis acquisition was interesting to follow given their very public statement 12 months ago about being up for sale.
3 of the 4 largest companies in this report have changed ownership in the last 12 months (or are about to). What does that say about the market?
Many things but mainly distribution remains a sound bet for investment, growth and shareholder value.
How do you feel that one company featured in this report took out a full-page New York Times ad in March blasting the term ‘distributor’?
I thought it was great. Whether you agree with it or not, it achieved exactly what they set out to do – generating publicity for the company and an industry debate. Personally, I wouldn’t agree with everything that was said, but to be fair, we’ve been trying to move away from the term “distributor” ourselves, which is why we position ourselves as a channel enablement specialist.
On a scale of 1-10, how optimistic are you about the IT distribution market right now?
I’d say a 7. Distribution will always evolve in line with market trends and channel needs to deliver value to both customers and vendors. That value can take many forms, whether it’s logistics, marketplaces that enable quick and transactional business, or more specialised support. For us, it’s our deep knowledge and expertise in cloud communications that really sets us apart.
Looking ahead, there’s also a significant opportunity for distributors to monetise AI. Either by using it internally to reduce cost-to-serve, or by offering wraparound services that help end users unlock the same benefits.
Oxygen 50 Must-Know IT Distributors and Marketplaces 2025 is Powered by Pimberly. See who else made the cut here.
