Datacom CEO Greg Davidson names Bob Peebles as new Australian MD in major restructure

Datacom has merged its Systems and Solutions business and will wind up its various state-based entities as part of an organisational restructure and leadership shakeup.

The trans-Tasman IT provider merged its state-based Datacom Systems businesses – which were previously structured as separate businesses in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT, South Australia and Western Australia – into Datacom Systems (AU) Pty Ltd as of 1 December 2017.

The restructure delivers on Datacom group chief executive Greg Davidson's strategy, which he revealed to CRN in December, to reorient the business so it operate more like a single entity rather than its legacy state-based structure.

Davidson at the time said he wanted Datacom in Australia to operate less like "six states that never talk to each other" and for each location across the Tasman to provide the same skills and competency as their geographic counterparts.

The various state entities will be wound up in due course, a company spokesperson told CRN.

Davidson on Wednesday outlined changes to the company’s operational structure, including new business units and an updated senior leadership roster.

The company will now be organised into four businesses: Australia Commercial, New Zealand Commercial, Public Sector A/NZ, and International. The four units will be supported by the company's group-wide Datacom Connect, operations, and products and marketing divisions.

The new structure constitutes all of Datacom’s sales, customer service, products, software development, cloud, IT outsourcing, networks, data centre services and operations functions, some of which previously sat under the company's Systems and Solutions units, which have been absorbed into the new businesses.

The company has named Bob Peebles as managing director of Datacom Australia Commercial. Peebles was appointed to Datacom’s software business in May 2017, he was previously executive general manager of Oakton, acquired by Dimension Data in 2014.

Absent from the newly announced executive lineup are former Datacom Systems chief operating officer Glenn Scown, Datacom Australia and New Zealand director Mike Askew, who retired in March, company secretary Robin Keall, who retired in December 2017, and investments director Mark McWilliams.

A Datacom spokesperson said some directors had departed the company, while others had taken alternate roles within the business. 

The new structure followed "an extensive proactive planning program that involved seeking in-depth feedback from Datacom’s customers across the region". 

“These changes will enable our most experienced leaders to bring their experience, insight and imagination directly to our customers, and to the management of our business," Davidson said.

"This customer- and market-driven strategy will best apply our expertise from across the entire company. I’m pleased that we have been able to do this while still retaining the strong local culture and leadership in each of our locations."

Vernon Kay takes the reigns of the commercial business in New Zealand, having grown the company’s NZ software, networking and security business over the past 23 years.

Mark Muru, the former director of Datacom’s federal government practice for Wellington and the ACT, will take charge of Datacom’s Public Sector A/NZ business.

Kirsty Hunter, Datacom’s former Connect and Asia business managing director, has been named managing director of Datacom International, where she will drive new opportunities for the company in South East Asia, Europe and US.

Other appointments include Alexandra Coates to group chief operating officer, Siobhan Gallagher as group chief people officer, Amanda Goddard to company secretary, Stacey Tomasoni to managing director of Datacom Connect, Jonathan Usher to managing director of group products and marketing, and Rachel Walsh to group chief financial officer.

Davidson was appointed group chief executive in April following former CEO Jonothan Ladd's decision to step into the executive chairman role for Datacom International.