Avnet, Inc., a leading global technology distributor, today announced that Ger Purcell, senior vice president of IT for Avnet, Inc., was selected by IDG’s Computerworld as a 2014 Premier 100 IT Leader honoree. The Premier 100 spotlights leaders from both the technology and business sides of companies for their exceptional technology leadership and innovative approaches to business challenges.
“Ger has an incredible ability to create high levels of collaboration between business leaders and IT professionals in a way that drives tangible business results for Avnet,” said Steve Phillips, senior vice president and CIO, Avnet, Inc. “In particular, he led a multi-year IT initiative to create a common applications portfolio globally that has significantly improved Avnet’s operational efficiency, saved millions of dollars and created the foundation for Avnet to innovatively meet the needs of its business partners in the future. This prestigious award highlights the valuable role that Ger plays every day in helping Avnet achieve its business goals.”
Purcell joined Avnet in 2008, and he is responsible for creating the IT strategy for one of Avnet’s operating groups – Avnet Technology Solutions. In this role, Purcell led the development and deployment of a common application portfolio. This has enabled Avnet Technology Solutions to leverage its global scale and scope, while significantly reducing costs. Additionally, Purcell and his team have played a critical role in integrating more than 20 companies that Avnet has acquired into Avnet Technology Solutions, helping the operating group efficiently expand its footprint in Asia Pacific; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); Latin America; and North America.
Purcell has also played a key role in evolving the IT skillset of Avnet’s employees. For example, he developed a “Technology Day” initiative that provides Avnet’s IT team with an opportunity to participate in sessions to learn about new technology areas, which is followed by a job shadowing program. In addition, he leads Avnet’s Global Development Centers located in China, which are instrumental in creating a “follow the sun” IT support model for Avnet.
“The Premier 100 awards program, now in its 15th year, shines a well-deserved spotlight on a group of talented, creative and hard-working men and women. These IT executives are driving technology innovation in business, education and government across the country and around the world,” said Scot Finnie, editor in chief of Computerworld. “Technology advances quickly, and these leaders excel at keeping pace with the changing needs of customers and employees, and making fast technology decisions that map to their organizations’ top priorities. They have developed a deep bench of talented IT staffers at their organizations and managed to keep their own skills fresh by constantly mastering new technologies and processes. We are privileged to recognize the leadership and achievements of the 2014 Premier 100 honorees.”
Purcell is one of three Avnet IT leaders that have received this lifetime recognition. Phillips became a member of the Premier 100 in 2011, when he was honored for his ability to develop innovative IT strategies to drive growth opportunities for Avnet that have helped the company respond to market changes and enhance customer service. Additionally, Avnet’s vice president of enterprise infrastructure, Brad Kenney, was named to this list in 2013 for his commitment to increasing the operational and energy efficiency of Avnet’s North American data center and managing the company’s rapid data growth.
Purcell will receive his award at the Premier 100 awards ceremony at Computerworld’s annual Premier 100 IT Leadership Conference, to be held March 2-4, 2014, at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson, Ariz. The conference, to be attended by more than 350 influential senior IT managers, will showcase honorees and other IT innovators as they discuss how to create competitive IT organizations. Additional information is available at www.premier100.com.
