Former SHI boss Brodrick joins Paragon Micro as UK MD

Paragon Micro has appointed Darren Brodrick as its UK managing director to head its international expansion this side of the Atlantic.

Brodrick moves to Paragon Micro from SHI International where he spent almost 17 years growing the firm's presence in the UK.

The reseller exec has effectively swapped roles with SHI's UK MD Donovan Hutchinson who left Paragon Micro at the end of last year.

Paragon Micro claims the appointment reflects its "strategic approach to long-term growth".

Speaking to CRN, Brodrick said that UK expansion plans are already underway for 2021 - with a new office in Milton Keynes to open as soon as the latest lockdown is over and a new integration centre in Sheffield scheduled to be up and running in a matter of days.

Brodrick said that a key goal is for Paragon Micro to appear in CRN's Top VAR's for the first time this year.

Judging by CRN's Top VARs 2020 published in December, Paragon Micro would have to log around £40m-plus in revenues in order to appear in the top 100.

"Bearing in mind they only operationalised in the UK back in March 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, so have already shown how committed they are to global expansion," he said.

"As a measure of success, I think it's very realistic for us to aim to be a top 100 VAR by the end of the year and there is already investment being made in adding sales headcount, building out technical resources and competencies, with the launch of a Sheffield integration centre literally days away from launching," he said.

Paragon Micro is a $200m-revenue reseller based in Illinois in the US. The firm claims to be a leading provider of hardware, software and technology to corporate and public sector clients.

Brodrick said that he initially planned to take some time out after leaving SHI, but said he couldn't resist pursuing the Paragon Micro role when the opportunity arose.

"The original plan was to have a few months off to reflect and do some home projects, which didn't quite happen," he said.

"This as a fantastic opportunity to use all the good experiences and knowledge I've gained along with the learnings from the not so good, to help Paragon become a more dominant reseller in the region."

Brodrick said the biggest positive change between SHI and Paragon Micro is having a bigger role in the strategic direction of the business.

"I think the proposition is very different, working for one of the big guys can have its challenges as there can be many different influencers and it can take time to implement change," he said.

"Paragon right away are very agile and have already adapted to the market changes, it's just a fantastic opportunity to build from what's been started."

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