MTI parting ways with two sales directors

Managed services boss Rob Buckton and security boss Simon Godfrey both heading for exit doors

MTI has confirmed the sales directors of its security and managed services businesses are both leaving the firm before the end of this year.

The Godalming-based integrator, which operates in the UK, France and Germany, is hunting for a replacement for security sales director Simon Godfrey as he prepares to depart later this month.

Meanwhile, managed services sales director Rob Buckton is also moving on before the end of the year following MTI's decision to converge its managed services and datacentre practices.

Ian Parslow, senior vice president of sales at MTI, said he was "desperately disappointed" to be parting ways with the duo, both of whom joined MTI only last year.

MTI remains fully committed to managed services, which it will now sell alongside its core datacentre proposition following two years hothousing these activities in a separate unit, Parslow said.

"Rob has done a magnificent job helping us build our managed services business over the last couple of years," Parslow said.

"When you come from a datacentre pedigree like we have, you don't necessarily have that [managed services] skills set in the business. But it was always envisaged that once we'd built that head of steam we would collapse that into our datacentre practice and we've done that in the last couple of weeks."

MTI has already begun the hunt for a new security boss following Godfrey's (pictured) decision to accept a job at an unspecified firm in the industry.

"While I am massively disappointed to lose Simon, I told him it was too good an opportunity to pass on," Parslow said.

"We hope to have his position filled by January and there are a number of people coming from both vendors and partners who want to come to work for MTI, which is very encouraging."

Parslow added: "We remain 100 per cent focused on managed services and are absolutely committed to driving that offering alongside our datacentre business. And we will get the security business filled with the best talent we can find."

News of the double departure follows the exit of Chris Roberts, who was brought in to build MTI's channel business, last month.

Parslow said MTI's long-term VC backer, Garnett & Helfrich Capital, remain pleased with the integrator's financial progress. UK sales grew by more than a fifth to £32m in its most recently reported financial year, ending March 2013.

"We will be sold at some point but when that is and who to, is up to our VCs," Parslow said. "At the moment, they are consistently driving us to grow 20 per cent organically year on year, which we have continually done for the last five years."