Computacenter confirms director's departure

Datacentre solutions director Neill Burton is leaving the firm after 11 years to preside over Hitachi Data Systems' channel

VAR Computacenter's datacentre solutions director Neill Burton is leaving the company at the end of the year after more than a decade at the Hatfield-based firm.

Burton has been snapped up by storage vendor Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) and will begin work in his new role of vice president for channel and alliances in the new year.

His appointment comes more than five months after Stephen Ball, who worked at Computacenter for 11 years until 2006, joined HDS from Orange Business Services as the firm's regional vice president.

Burton's departure was announced in an email to staff on Friday, which was later leaked to ChannelWeb.

The email, addressed to staff from Computacenter's director of solutions Kevin James, confirmed Burton's resignation and paid tribute to the contribution he has made to the business during his 11-year tenure.

"Neill has been instrumental in growing our business over the past 11 years and has held various sales and leadership roles, including running our IBM growth programme and driving our virtual datacentre proposition," wrote James.

He goes on to remind staff that, despite Burton's imminent departure, it is business as usual for the firm.

"[Burton] will remain in post and fully engaged until year end, and is 100 per cent committed to maximising our success for Q4," he added.

"We must not let this development be a distraction for us [and] I know Neill wants to go out in style, and that means a huge Q4."

Burton told ChannelWeb he is looking forward to joining HDS. "I have had a great 11 years at Computacenter and I am sure that I would have had an equally good time if I had stayed another 11," he said.

"I am really excited about the opportunity at Hitachi, because it is a great company with differential technology and it is definitely somewhere I can add value to their growth plans."