‘We have aggressive growth targets’: Konekt CEO

Joel Chimoindes talks hardware unit sale, AI opportunities and European footprint

Konekt, born following Nuvias UC’s sale of its hardware arm to Northamber, intends to drive momentum by aligning with evolving software trends.

Last financial year, the entity grew by more than 25 per cent, delivering £40m in GII revenue and serving more than 400 customers across Europe.

While CEO Joel Chimoindes acknowledges that 25 per cent might be optimistic for the year ahead, the distie plans to pursue “aggressive growth targets,” he tells CRN.

He adds that while its software and services business increased last year, hardware was flat or declining, which eventually led to the sale of the unit to Northamber.

“Despite strong relationships with vendors such as Yealink, HP and Neat, hardware was no longer where the company should be focused,” he explains.

“Our real strengths were in software and services, and in cloud communications.”

The CEO also points to the “must-haves and nice-to-haves" dynamics, which he says split the market in two, as a key factor behind the divestment.

“Last year, must-haves were Windows 11 upgrades, AI PCs, laptops, desktops, security and anything around AI.

“But if you already had meeting rooms or UC equipment, it was probably good enough.

“Unless something was essential, there weren’t many must-have purchases.”

Chimoindes is confident that under the leadership of Alex Phillips, chairman of Northamber, Nuvias UC has a chance to return to growth.

“They have the right operational engine,” he says.

“Their logistics model is strong.

“I believe they can drive growth with the vendor partnerships and the people that have joined them.”

While 25 employees have departed to join Northamber following the transfer of the hardware arm, this refocus has not led to significant leadership changes at Konekt.

The organisation intends to exit volume hardware across Europe by the end of March 2026.

Following this date, it will still source hardware where it is required for projects, but it will not be in the volume hardware business anymore.

Partner network

The distributor currently considers Zoom its largest vendor partner.

“We’ve worked with them for many years, and we are one of their largest distributors in Europe,” says Chimoindes.

“Our Zoom business has grown about 30 per cent year-on-year across the UK, France, Benelux and Germany.”

Konekt also collaborates with AudioCodes on UC connectivity solutions, as well as Oracle and recently announced a partnership with Theta Lake for compliance software.

“Microsoft is also very important to us, not in selling licences, but in the services we wrap around Microsoft Voice.

“We hold the highest accreditations around Microsoft Voice, enabling us to integrate connectivity into Teams. Microsoft will continue to be a key focus.”

In terms of resellers, the business deals with between 450 and 500 partners across software and services, with around 250 to 300 of which are based in the UK.

“Our customer mix varies by country: MSPs, specialists, corporate resellers.”

UK and European activity

About half of the Wales-HQ distributor’s operations are outside the UK.

“France and Germany have low cloud penetration compared with the UK, the Netherlands and the Nordics, so our go-to-market strategy differs by country.”

The firm has resources in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany, with services delivered across Europe, largely remotely.

On the other hand, Chimoindes notes that both Germany and the UK have been tough markets recently, particularly due to budget constraints.

“Unpredictability has characterised the past five years,” he explains.

While Konekt intends to pursue opportunities across the UK and Europe, it has no plans to expand into other parts of EMEA, including the Middle East and Africa.

AI and convergence

In terms of technology, the CEO identifies two main trends driving growth in software: the convergence of cloud communications and data, and the rapid evolution of AI.

“I spend time with resellers who’ve embraced AI, and what we learn from each other is phenomenal.

“The scariest thing is the pace of change: a presentation on AI can be out of date within three months.”

He believes AI will dramatically increase productivity, but says adoption requires a mindset of continual change, both operationally and culturally.

On convergence, he argues that IT and data strategies are increasingly merging, as CRM platforms become intrinsically linked to communications platforms, a shift he sees as essential to delivering strong customer service.

AI has already had an impact on the organisation internally, even if it “got it massively wrong at the beginning.”

“We asked people what frustrated them and how AI could help. Nobody came forward.

“Two reasons: people feared for their jobs, and they didn’t understand what AI could achieve.”

To address this, the firm invested in internal education by integrating a Zoom AI agent into its NetSuite ERP.

It also built internal AI agents to help pre-sales engineers with repetitive questions.

“The productivity gains are huge. I know a 15-person business delivering what a 40- to 50-person company would, because AI is at the heart of everything they do.”