'We're seeing growth coming back in all verticals' - Insight's UK managing director on Covid recovery and 'return of confidence' from customers

Darren Hedley tells CRN that Insight is looking to 'push ahead' after what CEO Ken Lamneck described as a 'challenging' 2020

Insight managing director for the UK and Ireland says he is seeing a "real resurgence" in sales thanks to growing confidence from its customers.

The US reseller recently posted its Q1 results, reporting a two per cent year-on-year climb in total net sales to $2.2bn, which included a 14 per cent year-on-year increase in EMEA net sales.

It followed a flat quarter in the three months ending 31 December 2020, when overall net sales decreased marginally year-on-year and EMEA earnings fell by nine per cent, with outgoing CEO Ken Lamneck labelling 2020 as "one of the most challenging" the company has faced.

But the Arizona-based business is now looking to "push ahead" based on the "return of confidence" from its customers, its UK and Ireland managing director Darren Hedley said, adding that "all indications are good" for a strong second half of the year.

"We're seeing growth coming back in all verticals. More of the corporate market is much stronger and we're seeing customers bringing back online some of the projects that perhaps they'd delayed for the pandemic," he explained.

"Lots of customers, I think, made decisions that were based upon surviving, really, as we moved into pandemic.

"But now it's around what does that business strategy look like going forward? How do they take to the new way of working? Particularly with most people moving into a hybrid model of working. How does that work from an IT strategy point of view?"

Hedley took over the role in October last year, replacing Emma de Sousa who became EMEA president, and said one of the biggest challenges of the job has been not being able to meet people face-to-face.

But he said the pandemic had brought about some opportunities for Insight, particularly through the work it does in the public sector.

"Public sector was a really strong market for us within the UK, we saw considerable growth there," he said.

"A lot of that was down, I think, to a lot of the innovation that we were able to provide in the public sector. We saw a large uptake in more cloud-based solutions for them as they worked through the pandemic.

"It's very true to say the public sector, as a percentage, became a large part of our business, but we're starting to see that equalise out now, which is pleasing because obviously we want to be strong in all areas."

Like many other resellers, Insight has had to contend with issues like the global shortage of computer chips, which is expected to continue well into 2022.

Hedley said Insight has emphasised communication between itself, vendors and customers in order to "understand what the issue is", which he then said allowed the business and its customers to use "slightly different models to procure equipment" or to "take a slightly different solution view".

He also added that Brexit-related issues, which he said had caused "fairly considerable customs delays to begin with", have now eased due to customers adapting and changing their supply chain model in some instances.

Lamneck recently announced that he is to retire from his position as CEO after almost 12 years and Hedley praised his role in growing the company as it changed direction.

"I think he's done an incredible job," he added.

"He's really helped to move Insight from more of a VAR position that we held within the market to much more of a focus around services and solutions.

"I've been fortunate to spend quite a bit of time with him both here and in the US and he's an inspirational leader. Whatever he does now, he deserves it."