‘We don’t need to reinvent SCC. We just need to simplify it’: New SCC UK CEO

Russell Brown talks organic growth, AI focus and internal changes

Russell Brown, who took over as CEO of SCC UK in December, has already set a decisive course to prioritise the simplification of a business he has long called a competitor.

Brown brings more than 20 years' experience in the technology sector, the majority of which was spent at Computacenter, where he held senior leadership roles across Europe and the US.

In an interview with CRN, Brown explains that his immediate priority at the helm of SCC UK is not to revamp the business, but to reduce internal complexity.

“What is absolutely clear is we don’t need to reinvent SCC. We just need to simplify it,” Brown says.

“We talk to our customers about simplifying IT and yet internally, like a lot of organisations, you have a level of complexity.”

SCC already has strong capabilities across traditional VAR services, consultancy and emerging areas such as AI, cyber and data, he adds. But combining them proves difficult.

“It’s the complexity of bringing all those things together in a way that the customer can consume that is the challenge.

“It’s about how I simplify the organisation so that we can best equip the sales force to serve our customers and deliver value.”

That includes aligning sales, pre-sales and delivery teams more closely, with a focus on improving execution and customer outcomes.

Despite SCC revenue being on the up in FY25, with the UK arm’s top line standing at £1.1bn, EMEA CEO James Rigby was “not satisfied” with the level of profitability.

He identified margin erosion in the business from its private cloud platform as a factor leading to lower performance.

Addressing the concerns, Brown points to the exit from SCC’s datacentre business as a key step.

“We exited that business, which means we can now focus on the core part of the organisation.

“Rather than cutting costs, the focus will be on targeted investment.

“What we’re looking at doing is investing in core function areas like cloud, cybersecurity and AI.”

He also highlights plans to simplify internal processes, including the quote-to-cash cycle, using automation and AI to improve efficiency.

Customer base and growth plans

SCC UK currently serves more than 1,000 customers, with roughly half of its business coming from the public sector, spanning central government, healthcare and emergency services.

Private sector activity covers industries including finance, manufacturing, retail and telecoms, while the firm also works with large system integrators.

Despite recent buyouts at group level, such as Grupo Omega in Spain, the UK strategy prioritises organic expansion.

“[Acquisitions] are not front and centre in my mind right now,” he says.

“We’ve got so much opportunity with organic growth; that is absolutely the priority.”

Brown does not rule out future deals but explains that any move would be driven by capability gaps rather than scale.

While AI is dominating customer conversations, the UK CEO tells CRN that foundational work around data remains critical.

“AI is driving the growth because of the conversation, but actually what AI needs is a lot of foundational activity before that.

“The structure of data is imperative for AI to be successful.”

He adds that AI-led discussions are fuelling broader demand across cloud and cybersecurity.

“The conversation of AI is driving a lot of opportunity downstream for us and it’s also leading to cloud and cyber conversations.”

Leadership changes to support strategy

As part of this simplification drive, the newly appointed leader confirms changes to the leadership structure, including the appointment of Steve Ruby as chief services officer last month.

Further exec additions could follow as the business invests in growth areas.

“As the organisation becomes simpler, and we start to invest in some of these areas I’m sure it will mean we increase the talent that we bring into the organisation,” he notes.

“It is going to create opportunity.”

Brown’s appointment also comes less than a year after SCC named Robert Vassoyan as group CEO.

Navigating macro conditions

The exec also points to ongoing supply chain challenges, with customers facing significant cost increases.

“Customers are seeing 20 to 30 per cent increases in costs for hardware versus last year.”

SCC is responding by helping customers extend asset lifecycles, optimise infrastructure and shift workloads to the cloud.

“We’re trying to give customers choice, as opposed to just being faced with rising prices and uncertainty,” Brown says.

“That reinforces the value of a partner being able to bring solutions to them and help them navigate these challenges.”