Datapoint regroups to go for the double

VAR sees former Vistorm chief Jim Kent take over the reins as part of management team refresh

Jim Kent: I am going to take a fresh look at the business

Comms integrator Datapoint has shuffled its senior management deck as part of plans to double services revenue.

HP veteran and ex-Vistorm head honcho Jim Kent joins the Avaya VAR as chief executive, while Richard Wingfield arrives from Azzuri as the chief financial officer. They replace Vim Vithaldas and Paul Lewis respectively. UK managing director Nick Roullier has also left the firm.

Currently, a fifth of Datapoint’s £65m revenue is drawn from services and the integrator is looking to double that percentage.

Kent said: “The channel philosophy has not matured in the telecoms domain as much as in the pure IT space. We see this as an opportunity and I think we have got the jump on some other players.”

Kent also hinted that more changes might occur.

“I am going to take a fresh look,” he said. “I have a talented executive team and we are going to supplement those people at the top table.”

Dave Millett, director of Equinox Business Consulting, said: “Avaya has pulled away from providing services and has also bought Nortel, which was almost totally indirect, so this is a smart move.”