Tag: Barrie Desmond

Barrie Desmond comes out of hibernation to catch salmon

Posted on January 10, 2020 by - News

After a year away, Barrie Desmond has returned to Exclusive as part of a cunning plan to spruce up the channel player’s executive team.

Desmond will become SVP of marketing and communications, and Gaerard Allison takes up the SVP  EMEA role. At the same time, the distributor has introduced Brad Gray as SVP of APAC and Scott Lewis as SVP of the Americas.

Desmond said that the channel player had lots to do to disrupt the market and introducing technologies that would put resellers in a position to meet evolving customer needs.

Barrie Desmond steps down

Posted on October 4, 2018 by - News

banner_220x220Exclusive Networks COO Barrie Desmond has announced he is quitting the outfit and will hand over his duties to Andy Travers.

Desmond will leave the €1.75 billion revenue VAD at the end of December after a seven-years at the Paris-based firm.

Travers is a former Fortinet and RSA executive Travers, who will have a different job title of SVP worldwide sales and marketing.

Desmond said he had done his bit and he was tired. It was time for the company to have a new voice and he is pleased Andy is the guy succeeding him.

“I’ve known him 20 years, and he’s had experience at every level of the channel”, he said.

Desmond joined Paris-based Exclusive via its 2011 acquisition of VADition, and since then Exclusive has built out a global footprint, most recently expanding into the US.  Exclusive has set itself a new €10bn revenue goal under new private equity backer Permira.

Desmond said he had a lot of fun but spent a lot of energy doing it. Now the platform is set for the next chapter of this story.

“I’m going to see how my life is and in January onwards do a bit of skiing and make some decisions then. Nothing is decided from my perspective.”

 

VAD Exclusive posts great end of year results

Posted on March 8, 2018 by - News

indexDistributor VAD Exclusive Group has posted revenues of £1.56 billion for its 2017 end of year results,  – its best financial results to date.

Its UK COO Barrie Desmond said the outfits 2017 acquisitions, made in the Benelux with TechAccess and in the US with Fine Tec, have helped the firm drive its top line.

VAD’s most active regions for organic growth were its southern region and the UK at 27 percent, then France and Germany at 26 and 16 percent respectively.

VAD claims to have been able to double its revenues over the past two years and to have expanded its reseller partner base by ten percent since 2016.

Desmond said this is down to partners recognising Exclusive Group as a specialist in a field of consolidating mega-distributors.

He said that there were so many cybersecurity vacancies it was an opportunity for the channel to provide a service.  Desmond wanted to become the go-to cybersecurity VAD.

Plans include moves in sub-Saharan Africa, the US, Eastern Europe and China.