Array Networks' UK office left unmanned
Global company restructure results in 10 redundancies
Array Networks’ UK office is currently unmanned following a global company restructure that has resulted in 10 redundancies.
Nine of the redundancies at the security vendor were US-based, but in the UK, Kevin Thiele’s position as regional sales director has gone. Thiele headed up the UK operation of Array along with Eddie Felmer, UK technical manager. Following the news of Thiele’s redundancy, CRN understands Felmer also decided to leave the company.
Pete Mistry, technical sales consultant at VAR Eclipse, told CRN: “We’ve been an Array partner for two and a half years. It was really starting to get some traction in the UK market and now it’s canned the UK team. We feel like we’ve been left in limbo at the moment and no one is telling us anything.”
Rodolf Schmit, sales director for Europe and Africa at Array, said: “The company has undergone a restructure, mainly focusing on the US side of the business, but one redundancy has been made in the UK. Thiele has been made redundant and Felmer has also gone. In the interim I will be looking after the UK, but on 14 January our new EMEA vice-president, sales and business development, Bhanu Panda, will be coming to the UK and will be looking to recruit new staff.”
Michael Zhao, chief executive of Array, said: “Array has made some changes to better serve our EMEA channel partners. We look to Europe as an important growth engine.”
Array lists Bell Micro, Fresh Egg and Wick Hill as its UK distributors.
Ken Ward, managing director at Wick Hill, said: “Array is still committed to growth in the UK market and Wick Hill is totally committed to supporting our Array resellers and to finding new ones. We anticipate a healthy future for the channel selling Array products.”