Reseller duo Galtec and Nviron cut in fresh-faced management

Two leading resellers have completed MBOs as they look to empower younger members of their management team

Two of the north of England's top midmarket resellers, Galtec and Nviron, have performed management buyouts over the summer as they look to empower the next generation of leaders within their businesses.

Several long-serving employees at Galtec have bought into the Leeds-based VAR, releasing two of its historical shareholders, namely former finance director Andrew Byard, and the firm that provided its original seed investment in 2004.

Galtec managing director Mark Adams, who remains at the helm of the firm, said the new board "have got youth and vibrancy on their side".

Adams retains his stake and is now one of five director-shareholders at Galtec alongside finance director Amy Cook, government sales director Tracie Walker, sales director John O'Connell and technical services director Andrew Byard.

"These guys have been with the company for eight to ten years-plus," Adams told CRN. "They've built the business. Some came in as juniors and it's a real credit that they have worked their way up to top posts.

"I turned 50 this year. I've got to start thinking about the future of the business and these guys are going to be here a long time after I retire."

Adams said midmarket specialist Galtec's revenues are poised to swell past £15m this year, partly as a result of business bagged by breaking onto the bumper Technology Products 2 public sector framework.

Meanwhile, Runcorn-based Nviron has also undergone an ownership shuffle, with long-standing managing director Stuart Rae having been bought out by several of his management team.

Rae, who retains a smaller stake in the Dell specialist and is staying on as chairman, said enfranchising the team around him was in keeping with Nviron's ethos.

"The company was originally an MBO in 1989 and we've always kept that ethos. Rather than going out to market, we've adopted the approach to give people in the business [a stake]. I'm 60 now and you've got to start making arrangements; it's a planned succession we've been working on for three years."

The new owners include newly crowned managing director Jamie Platt, sales director Joe Littlewood and commercial director Stuart Cole.

Rae described Nviron as a midmarket specialist that builds its offering on Dell.

"Midmarket companies need good reliable IT, and we provide a complete solution. The key part of our offering is around services. We work on a Dell proposition but layer on services - we take care of security, operations and disaster recovery," said Rae.

He added: "It's been very enjoyable working in the market and I still feel I've got plenty to contribute - but just not at the sharp end."