CHS chiefs poised to return

The former management of now-defunct CHS Electronics is this week set to return to the UK channel, as the administrators of the distributor revealed the holding company has liabilities of more than £32 million.

The former management of now-defunct CHS Electronics is this week set to return to the UK channel, as the administrators of the distributor revealed the holding company has liabilities of more than £32 million.

Jan Lawford, former commercial director at CHS, will take up a role this week as vice-president for UK operations at License Online, a US company specialising in hosting and managing volume software licensing for resellers serving the SME market.

Lawford will be tasked with building License Online's presence in the UK and Europe. The company is one of Microsoft's online licensing partners in the US, with a network of about 5000 VARs.

Lawford said License Online was in talks with UK distributors, including Ingram Micro, Gem and Computer 2000, which has its own online licensing. She was keen to have discussions with resellers and ISVs, she added.

"Nobody in the UK or Europe is doing a good job of electronic licensing, and there is no-one with a Web based solution. We want to become the de facto standard," said Lawford.

Adele Knox-Roberts, distribution sales manager at Microsoft, said it was too early to say whether the vendor would partner License Online in the UK, but revealed that talks are planned for this month.

Administrator BDO Stoy Hayward estimates CHS's total deficiency is £32 million. Total assets available for preferential creditors, with a book value of £36 million, are estimated to realise £100,000.