European managing director reveals plans to boost business model

Simon England, Azlan’s new European managing director, plans to apply a more value-added focus to the distribution giant’s business model.

England left distributor Comstor last year (CRN, 14 March 2005), where he was European managing director. After a year out of the industry, England has taken on the same role at rival Azlan.

England told CRN: “Comstor was moving into a new phase, and we looked at opportunities differently. I believe the market in distribution is changing, and the Azlan approach is a huge opportunity.”

England added that he joined Azlan because it has the potential of a firm where a value-added model could develop.

He said two key areas of focus for Azlan are security and voice. He claimed Azlan has good coverage in all convergence technologies, as security and storage merge into the network.

David Galton-Fenzi, group sales director at rival distributor Zycko, said: “England has worked around the industry. When Comstor restructured, England could have been pushed or offered more money from Tech Data [Azlan’s parent company].”

He added that England’s biggest task will be integrating the Azlan business into Tech Data.

Thomas Schoon, marketing director at Comstor, said: “It is his [England’s] decision, and he is now back in the game.”