Westcon-Comstor appoints new MD to take over UK&I operations

John Nolan will lead a team of over a hundred sales, technical and operational professionals

Westcon-Comstor has appointed John Nolan as its new managing director for the UK and Ireland.

Formerly the sales director, Nolan will now lead a team of over a hundred sales, technical and operational professionals.

He is taking over the role from Antony Byford, who will now act as vice president in the newly formed cloud and collaboration business division.

"I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to lead the UK&I business," said Nolan.

"I've witnessed major shifts in technology adoption and the impacts on the channel during my 17-year tenure at Westcon-Comstor. The single constant throughout this time has been the difference an experienced distributor like Westcon can make when helping partners navigate those market shifts while maintaining high service levels."

Having joined the business in 2005 as a key account manager, Nolan made the decision to relocate from Dublin, becoming an internal account manager in the London office.

He transitioned to a client-facing account director role, rising through the ranks to key accounts team leader.

Nolan then became sales director of the Avaya team and then group sales director.

He spent almost five years in this position before being promoted to MD and heading up its UK&I operations.

Nolan added: "Today, the role of a distributor is even more critical, as we help our partners identify growth opportunities, expand their skills, and ultimately build revenues for success. The beauty of distribution is when you build close relationships with your partners and get to watch our enablement make real, positive impact in that partner's business.

"We have a unique view of the market, and I look forward to utilising that to help our UK & Ireland partner community. I'm certain that the next five years is set to bring about even more success, and I'm thrilled to be steering the ship in UK&I."

David Grant, CEO of Westcon-Comstor, said he is "optimistic" about the outlook of the business with Nolan in charge.

He said: "I have complete confidence in John, his understanding of the market and ability to act accordingly is second to none. I'm very optimistic about the outlook for the UK&I in his hands,

"It's a very competitive and demanding market but John is absolutely the right leader to continue to drive our success."