Dicker steps down

Founder Fiona Dicker has stepped down from the general manager's chair at Dicker Data as the distributor ramps up to regain market share lost to rivals Ingram Micro and TechPac.

Dicker has been replaced as GM by a LAN Systems export, 13-year channel veteran Angela Coronica, who will take over the responsibility for running the entire organisation.

Fiona Dicker would stay on as director and work on some special strategies and projects, Coronica said.
'I think we've lost a lot of ground over the last year or two, particularly to Ingram Micro and Tech Pacific,' she said. 'But she's got some fantastic things which we want to be working on and there'll be some exciting news that we'll be launching over the coming months.'

Dicker and ex-husband David Dicker co-founded Dicker Data about 26 years ago, Coronica said. David Dicker is also a director.

Coronica said that Dicker Data would focus on its SMB strengths and 'personal touch' this year as part of an expansion program.

Dicker Data was interviewing candidates with a view to beefing up its sales and marketing force across Australia, she said.
'With more efficiency in the systems, that will get the guys to be a little bit more proactive,' Coronica said. 'We will also be doing a little bit more bundling with our vendors.'

The distributor was also about to begin trialling a new website that would make it easier for resellers to get what they needed from Dicker Data. For example, live pricing feeds and accurate time of product arrival estimates would be provided, Coronica said.
'We've briefed again the development company this morning to make it crisp, clear and have not too much information. And I think that's the differentiator,' she said.

A few resellers would be asked to try the service after an internal trial was completed shortly, she said. If all went well, the website would then go live across Dicker Data's customer database.

She conceded that winning against Ingram Micro and TechPac, which both have warehouses in locations such as Melbourne, could be a challenge. However, there was no reason why Dicker Data couldn't earn a bigger slice of pie, Coronica said.
'My background was in Melbourne for 11 or 12 years, and a lot of customers [I knew then] have already called me, which is pretty cool,' she said.

Coronica spent seven years at value-added distributor LAN Systems, building its southern regional presence, and working on strategic vendor and customer initiatives.

The Sydney-based company distributes HP, Compaq, Toshiba, Epson, Canon, NEC, Panasonic, Targus and Kingston products.

Dicker Data hit headlines late last year when a takeover bid by Melbourne's eXeed failed. 'That's old news,' Coronica said.