Pastures new for Bell credit guru Pacey

Peers pay tribute to "giant" of the industry as credit man plans consultancy work with VARs, VADs and investors

Eddie Pacey: I intend to stay in the industry as the next decade is too good to miss

Bell Micro's European director of credit services Eddie Pacey is moving on after 18 years with the firm.

Pacey departs today, some three months after the closure of Bell's acquisition by Avnet. The credit chief plans to branch into consultancy work and he told ChannelWeb he was looking forward to working with a variety of channel firms. He also indicated he would be keen to work with private equity houses looking to invest in the IT sector.

Pacey joined Bell, then called Ideal Hardware, in 1992, with the remit of helping facilitate the firm's growth plans through credit management.

"I took up the challenge, creating a fresh approach to credit by raising its profile in the sector and wider credit community," he explained. "In doing so, I helped create an Ideal, and subsequently Bell brand of credit, setting a benchmark others have followed. Now that both these names are consigned to history, it is fitting that I move on."

Nitin Joshi, founder of ChannelMoney, was quick to pay tribute to Pacey. He stressed the significance of the credit chief's work in driving Bell's growth over the past two decades.

"Eddie is a giant," he said. "He carried the Ideal/Bell torch for 18 long years. His contribution has been instrumental to where Bell is today. He will leave a chasm which will be very difficult to fill. His extensive skill set, knowledge and experience is now available to the channel. He will do well”.

Westcoast sales and marketing director Alex Tatham spent 10 years with Pacey at Bell. He claimed numerous resellers would no longer be in business were it not for "the most innovative and dedicated" credit manager in the business.

"Eddie has been an outstanding credit manager and a credit to his profession, " added Tatham. "I am sure that Avnet will feel his loss and I hope that the channel does not feel the loss of his experience."

Pacey told ChannelWeb that he believes credit should be afforded greater prominence and should be linked more closely to sales activities. He stressed his "huge admiration for the reseller community" and claimed the most rewarding part of his job had been helping start-ups turn into £100m-plus channel players.

"I have seen proud chests, worried brows and heads in the sand, but above all, I have enjoyed the most exciting and invigorating business sector in all my 35 years of credit management," he added. "I intend to stay with it as the next decade is too good to miss."