7 Insight

Revenue: £583.3m (+7%)

Net profit: 1.1% Staff: 988

With Thai Lee and Christine Leahy currently heading up SHI and CDW respectively, three of the world's four largest IT resellers will have female CEOs as of 1 January 2022 as Joyce Mullen takes the reins of this $8bn-revenue giant.

In the UK - where it has offices in Sheffield, Manchester and Uxbridge - Insight's main trading arm (Insight Direct (UK)) notched up revenues £583.3m in calendar 2019, up seven per cent annually. That was despite "Brexit driving uncertainty across a number of sectors". Net profits fell from £8.1m to £6.5m, however, as higher administrative expenses dragged on the bottom line.

Insight's global revenues boomed by over a quarter YoY to $2.45bn in Q3 2021, although that was mainly thanks to a 30 per cent hike in North American sales (with EMEA rising a more modest seven per cent in local currencies). Former Dell channel boss Mullen takes over from outgoing CEO Ken Lamneck next month.

Covid impact

Insight's UK accounts fingered Brexit rather than Covid as the major obstacle to trading last year. At a global level, Insight admitted the revenue bump it enjoyed from recent acquisition PCM in 2020 (when revenues rose eight per cent to $8.3bn) was "partially offset" by Covid-related challenges.