Jon Atherton has revealed he is leaving Ci Distribution after receiving a job offer that was “too good to turn down”.
Distribution veteran Atherton joined Centerprise International in 2016 after spells at Entatech and Exertis.
Over his ten-year spell in charge, rugged hardware and gaming specialist Ci Distribution has grown from £3m revenues and four staff to close to £40m and 23 staff.
It ranked 31st in Oxygen’s 50 Must-Know UK IT Distributors and Marketplaces.
“Too good to turn down”
Talking to IT Channel Oxygen, Atherton revealed he will leave at the end of June to take up a role at another distributor, characterising his departure as “totally my decision”.
“I’ve received a number of tepid requests to go to job interviews, but I’ve always declined them just due the ride I was on with Ci Distribution,” he said.
“I’ve only had three jobs in 37 years, which I’m very proud about.
“But the offer is just too good to turn down.
“My friendship and loyalty to Ci Distribution will continue, and I’ll be banging their drum for the future as well.”
“No animosity”
Despite branding Exertis UK’s recent challenges as “not good for our industry” and expressing his sympathy with impacted staff, Atherton acknowledged that Ci Distribution has profited from the situation.
“We have benefited from it, but perhaps in a smaller way than some of the other distributors, because we’re very focused on what we do, which is gaming and rugged,” he said.
Part of £133m-revenue Centerprise International, Ci Distribution is heading towards £50m revenues in its next financial year, Atherton indicated.
“We’ve picked up a number of retailers over the last three months to supply gaming equipment into – and that’s multiple millions of pounds each year. That’s where you’ll see a lot of growth from CI distribution over the next 12 months to two years,” he said.
Atherton said he is currently working to help find his successor.
“There’s no animosity at all, and I’m thankful for the opportunity that [Centerprise Chairman] Rafi [Razzak] and [Centerprise CEO] Jez [Jeremy Nash] gave me all those years ago,” he said.
“I think we all are a little bit devastated by it, but they can understand the reasoning behind my decision to leave.
“I leave with a smile on my face.”
Doug Woodburn is editor of IT Channel Oxygen
