Avnet waves goodbye to global president

Phil Gallagher set to leave distribution behemoth after 31 years to focus on new career opportunities

Avnet has started a frantic hunt for a successor after its global president Phil Gallagher announced plans to step down from his role.

According to a statement by the distribution giant, the move is to allow him to focus on new career opportunities.

The distributor plans to have a new leader in place by the end of the calendar year, it said.

Gallagher will stay in place until a successor is named, and he will also assist in a ‘collaborative transition’, the firm added.

Gallagher served as president of Avnet Electronics Marketing, Americas from July 2004 until he took on his current role in March 2009. He started at the company back in 1983.

Rick Hamada, chief executive of Avnet, said: "Phil is a well-respected, 31-year veteran of the company. Over the past five years, the Technology Solutions team has built a solid foundation for the future, adding several strategic suppliers, technologies and services to our portfolio.

“In addition, they have expanded our geographic footprint in many key markets in the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. With this in place, we are well positioned to create the robust solutions our customers need, and we thank Phil for his valuable contributions to the business."