A duo of industry big hitters have announced they are leaving their roles to take on two of the biggest jobs in distribution.
Dell’s Vice President of UK Channel Rob Tomlin is departing the vendor to become Exclusive Networks’ UK&I Director, IT Channel Oxygen can reveal.
Following a two-year hiatus as NTT Ltd’s European CEO, Miriam Murphy is returning to TD Synnex as its president of Europe, it was announced yesterday, meanwhile.
New job for Rob
Tomlin has helmed Dell’s UK channel since 2018 (having himself joined from TD Synnex).
He will take up his new post at Exclusive Networks next month, the distributor’s SVP EMEA, Paul Eccleston, confirmed in a statement to IT Channel Oxygen.
“We are delighted to confirm that Rob Tomlin will be joining the Exclusive Networks team in March as the Managing Director for UK&I. Rob is the best person to lead our UK&I business for the coming years as we continue to deliver to the highest level of value to our channel and vendor partners,” Eccleston added.
A Dell spokesperson added: “We can confirm that Rob Tomlin is leaving Dell Technologies for a new opportunity and will announce his replacement soon (see update, bottom). We are excited for this next chapter under new leadership and are grateful to Rob for the contributions he has made during his time with us. We wish him all the best.”
The news comes after Dell made a raft of updates to its partner programme on Monday to mark the start of its fiscal 2025.
One distribution source characterised Tomlin’s imminent departure as a “big loss”, with Craig Aston, COO of Dell partner Celerity, also expressing his regret at the news.
“Whilst disappointed that Rob is leaving Dell, as he has helped Celerity hugely in our growing Relationship with them, I am delighted for him personally going into a role that will be a great fit for both him and Exclusive Networks,” Aston said.
Donavan Hutchinson, Chief Revenue Officer at Dell partner Trustmarque, characterised Tomlin’s departure as “bittersweet”.
“I’ve worked with Rob for many years and recall his first day at Dell. Rob’s impactful tenure at Dell has left an indelible mark, and his wealth of experience in both vendor and distribution realms will undoubtedly propel Exclusive Networks forward with unwavering momentum. I look forward to collaborating with Rob in his new role; his long-standing reputation and respect across the channel are testament to his invaluable contributions,” Hutchinson said.
Murphy’s move
While Tomlin will helm an Exclusive Networks UK business that turned over £553.9m in calendar 2022, Murphy will now head up TD Synnex’s near $20bn-revenue European empire, assuming a post that has sat vacant since predecessor Patrick Zammit was promoted to COO.
Murphy, who previously headed up TD Synnex’s Advanced Solutions business in EMEA before joining NTT in January 2022, will start her new role on 8 April.
“It’s fantastic to welcome Miriam back to TD Synnex. Thanks to her prior experience with us, we already know about her many great leadership attributes,” stated Zammit, who Murphy will report into.
“I am delighted and honoured to take up the leadership of TD Synnex’s European business,” Murphy added in a canned statement.
“The company’s more than 7,000 co-workers in the region play a vital role at the heart of the channel ecosystem, fostering continuous evolution and seamless connections among vendors, partners, and their end customers. I am looking forward to supporting them as we strive to help all our channel partners to grow their businesses and deliver great outcomes to the market.”
Update:
Since this story was published, later in the day Dell unveiled 10-year company veteran Ian Heath as its new Channel and Distribution Lead for the UK, effective 1 April.
“I’m delighted to lead Dell Technologies’ Channel business in the UK,” Heath stated.
“My experience has taught me how essential partners are to our business; it takes an ecosystem of suppliers and solution providers of all types to deliver on the promise of digital transformation. At Dell, we have an ingrained recognition that when we work together with partners, we innovate faster for our customers.”
Doug Woodburn is editor of IT Channel Oxygen
