Persona team hit by staff exodus

Colleagues leave to join former sales manager?s systems integrator Ciscom for March launch

Persona?s Cisco sales team has been hit by staff leaving to join systems integrator Ciscom.

Ciscom was set up by the distributor?s former Cisco sales manager Ian McTaggart, who resigned in December.

The networking wholesaler, which was Cisco distributor of the year in 1996, has also lost both its Cisco certified internetworking experts. Senior consultant Nigel Roy has resigned to join City reseller Integrated Data Networks, while product manager Luke Reid is one of the three Persona staff joining Ciscom at the end of February, as technical director.

Also joining Ciscom will be senior sales specialist Nayeb Sayed as sales director and switching specialist Richard Homer.

The news is a blow for Persona, as Cisco sales make up a large chunk of its profit. Persona MD Roger Paul said about 16 per cent of last year?s turnover was from Cisco products but he would not reveal what proportion of profit came from the vendor, saying only that it was substantially higher than 16 per cent. ?I am sorry to see them go, but the team is pretty large and while we will need to recruit, we have already replaced Roy and Reid,? he said.

Ed Williams, Cisco business unit manager at Azlan, said Persona would have to poach from other Cisco teams to replenish its expertise.

?I doubt anyone from Azlan would go as we have a solid team and Persona?s reputation for politics precedes it,? he said. ?McTaggart should be a valuable addition to the reseller community, as he is a knowledgeable gent and has good backup.?

Ciscom has opened an account with Azlan and will also meet Frontline, Ingram and Persona. ?We sell Cisco products as well as distributing third-party cables and memory, and expect to have silver accreditation within 18 months,? said McTaggart.

Richmond-based Ciscom will launch officially at the beginning of March.