WeFi can help the channel “win the AI race”, its newly appointed EMEA boss claimed as it became a sponsor of The Channel Community (TCC).
After nine years at Westcon, Antony Byford in April joined working capital solutions provider WeFi as its VP of EMEA.
Talking to IT Channel Oxygen, Byford said WeFi injects around $2bn into the global channel each month to help partners bag deals they might otherwise lose due to a lack of liquidity.
“It’s an issue I saw a lot of at Westcon,” he said.
“There are a lot of deals being lost in the channel. If you look at the growth of the market, it’s outpacing the credit capacity and liquidity in the market.
“We enable the channel to win this new AI race and cut deals.”
Byford spent nine years at Westcon, including five years as the distributor’s UK&I MD, before finally succumbing to the advances of recruiter Marc Sumner.
“He had been after me for such a long time,” Byford recalled.
‘When Marc approached this time, I was clear, I wanted something unique, something not directly within Distribution, but where I could use my experience to make a compelling impact on an organisation who could make a profound impact in the channel.
“When he approached me about these guys, it was an absolute no-brainer.”
WeFi is currently working with a “disruptive” vendor and its prospective distribution partner to launch a 120-day payment service, Byford said.
“That’s unheard of,” he said.
“I wanted to be part of that”
WeFi joins Nebula Global Services, The Channel Recruiter and Coachere as a Gold sponsor of free mentoring and networking community interest company TCC.
At a networking event at Softcat’s Manchester office in March, two of TCC’s committee members urged attendees to take on a mentor as early in their careers as possible.
Its most recent event was held at Telefonica Tech’s London HQ in the Walkie Talkie (see above).
Having founded TCC in 2021, former CDW exec Yvonne Matzk stressed it is now much less reliant on her personally than it was in its early days.
“It’s definitely not all on my shoulders now,” she said.
“I have an amazing board of directors and a committee that help shape, guide, drive, and promote it.
“It’s about building something that lasts for years and serves the values we’ve created, which is to provide opportunities for people who don’t currently have them for mentoring, and to provide a safe and inclusive environment for people to network.”
Byford said Matzk and her fellow TCC board had “done a good job”.
“I wanted to be part of that,” he said.
“I know a lot of people within the community already, and it just made sense to work with people that you know.
“We talked about the mentoring side, which is something I’ve done a lot over the years. That’s something maybe I can contribute to.”
