David Henderson takes executive chairman role at Best Technology Services

Sydney-based IT field services channel company Best Technology Services has appointed David Henderson as its new executive chairman.

The company made the appointment as part of a larger leadership shakeup which will see founder and current boss John McVicker switch focus to bringing new products and services to market and finding and supporting new partners, according to a company statement.

Best chief customer officer Dean Yates, McVicker’s business partner, will move into the role of general manager. The company has also recruited more than 45 new engineers in the past quarter to support its partners.

“As a channel-only company, unless we can help our partners be successful, we’re not going to have any basis for our own growth,” McVicker said in a statement.

“The Best Technology solution has always been focused on providing partners with the resources that they need to service their customers but might have trouble accessing otherwise.

“The last two years have put an incredible strain on supply chains and created shortages that will continue to be felt for some time, but this is something that we are in a position to assist our partners with.”

The company said its recent recruitment drive has been an effort to mitigate the tech skills shortage in Australia, making its people a key resource for partners.

McVicker added that the inability to access fixed price services has affected the margins of many partners, and their subsequent ability to maintain cash flow and profitability through disruption and delayed projects.

“There’s a shortage of people who are going to install and repair solutions, and get that last mile task done,” McVicker said.

“Our response is to make the investments ourselves so we can introduce stability back into the supply chain for our customers,” he added. “David has such weight and gravitas in the channel and is perfectly equipped to take this opportunity and drive the overall business where we want it to go.”

This year will be the 20th anniversary of the company and McVicker said its services were more in demand than ever.

“We needed to have a deep look at our product, and how we’re going to take it to market and grow the business,” he said.

“A restructure of the leadership, as well as the recruitment of new engineers and specialists so that our partners don’t need to bring those capabilities in-house, is necessary to continue to deliver value to our customers through this climate.”

Prior to joining Best, Henderson was the executive chairman at Renewtrak for five years.

Henderson said there was a great opportunity for further growth in the company through its "unique commitment" to its channel.

“John and Dean recognised early in the pandemic that the old solutions that worked pre-COVID were not going to cut it in the new paradigm of post-COVID,” he said.

“Best Technology has built new products, expanded coverage and technical capabilities and importantly developed a shared business risk pricing model.

“The company is primed for exponential growth over the next three years and I look forward to leading this committed team of experts.”