Fenton to leave Insight Enterprises at end of month

EMEA boss to head through exit doors sooner than planned as he focuses on personal tech investments

Insight Enterprises EMEA boss Stuart Fenton is exiting the VAR at the end of this month - sooner than planned - to devote more time to several personal investment opportunities in the tech sector.

Fenton announced plans to leave the Fortune 500 giant in April, having built its EMEA operations from sales of $382m to $1.4bn since nestling into the managing director hotseat in 2002.

At the time, Fenton indicated he could stay on for a year or more while a successor is sought.

Talking to CRN, Fenton confirmed he is calling time on his 11-year stint at the global reseller - which boasts 5,400 staff and a market cap of $884m - to focus on multiple smaller, privately held tech ventures in UK and Europe.

"I'm leaving at the end of the month to focus on a number of personal investments that are demanding more and more of my time," he said. "This includes some new technology opportunities in the private market and I need to give them my time now, rather than letting the opportunity pass."

CRN understands it may be several months before a successor is announced, although Insight chief executive Ken Lamneck is likely to communicate an interim management structure for the region before the end of the month.

Fenton was tight-lipped on the identity of his new ventures, but in April he fingered mobile apps and cloud as two emerging areas in the industry that interested him.