Longtime Avnet electronics division insider Phillip Gallagher will
switch to the Avnet's (NYSE:AVT) other division and assume the role of
global president for Avnet Technology Solutions in March, amid a global
recession that dogged the group's earnings last quarter.
Poised to announce its most recent quarter's earnings on Thursday,
Avnet made the appointment of Gallagher public on Tuesday. Gallagher
has spent his years at Avnet in the company's other division – the
electronics group.
Current president of Avnet Technology Solutions John Paget will step
down from his position, effective immediately, but will continue to
assist during the transition period until Gallagher formally assumes
his new role in March. Chief Operating Officer Rick Hamada will serve
in the role during the interim. Paget joined Avnet from Synnex in
February 2007 to assume the role of Technology Solutions Global
President.
Click here to read Avnet's earnings reported in October 2008, and read John Paget's comments about them.
Gallagher has spent 26 years at Avnet and currently serves as
president of Avnet Electronics Marketing, Americas, a job he assumed in
2004. Prior to that he served as senior vice president of global
business development in Avnet's Electronics Marketing organization
where he was responsible for global supplier relationships and bridging
the gap among regions around the world.
Gallagher's only experience with the Technology Solutions side of the
business was 22 years ago, before the company split into the two
divisions – Electronics and Technology Solutions. However, he notes
that Avnet's current leaders – Roy Vallee, CEO and chairman; and Rick
Hamada, Chief Operating Officer -- have come out of the Electronics
division and into the Technology division before moving on to lead the
company.
"Customers are no different anywhere," Gallagher tells Channel Insider
in an interview. "They have increasing expectations about value
provided. They want to be told the truth."
Gallagher says that he plans no dramatic changes as he transitions to
his new role. Instead he will be talking to employees, customers,
suppliers and other constituents about what is working and what is not
working in the Technology Solutions division.
"We believe we have the right strategy at Technology Solutions. We
believe the strategy is on the right course," Gallagher says. "We are
going to focus on the execution of the strategies."
As the world enters 2009 in a recession, Gallagher's work is likely to
be challenging. He says the biggest challenge that he faced in the last
decade at the Electronics division was in coming out of the bust of
2001 – "the breakdown and what caused the bubble to burst was poor
supply chain management and lack of accountability. We all played a
role in that. We all learned a ton."
One of the biggest ongoing challenges for the Electronics group is the ongoing globalization of the industry.
"It's also one of the biggest values we bring," he said.
Gallagher, like Paget, will report directly to Hamada, who himself
served in the Technology Solutions Global President role until February
2007.
“In addition to his breadth of experience, Phil also brings a strong
track record of performance, personal adaptability, team development,
relationship skills, cultural contributions and strategic thinking that
provides him a strong platform upon which to continue to build
success,” Hamada says in a formal prepared statement issued by Avnet.
“I am firmly convinced that Phil’s leadership skills, coupled with his
experience and strong Avnet foundation, adds up to an excellent choice
for the global leader for Avnet Technology Solutions.”
According to Avnet, Gallagher was a recipient of Avnet’s Chairman’s
Award in 2001, was named a corporate officer in November 1997 and was
promoted to senior vice president of Avnet in November 2007.
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