HP names Ethan Group, NTT among top Australian partners

HP named Ethan Group, Ingram Micro and Synnex among its top-performing partners for 2017 at an awards ceremony in Sydney on Wednesday night.

Rob Mesaros, managing director, HP South Pacific, used the awards dinner at The Star to celebrate the vendor's success; HP posted its global full-year results on Wednesday, with revenue up 8 percent year-on-year to US$52.1 billion and its share price rising all year.

Mesaros told the audience of the vendor's top PC and print partners that "our future ambitions really do rest on the power of HP innovation plus a thriving and diverse channel".

"It's these partnerships that mean the absolute world to us. Personally and from all of the HP family, I want to give you guys a huge round of applause for all your support in the past and we know we can count on your future."

The top award of the evening, HP partner of the year, went to Sydney-headquartered IT solution provider Ethan Group, which also took home PC partner of the year.

Jennifer Mathers from Data#3 won partner sales rep of the year, the second year on the trot the Brisbane-based IT firm has scooped the category.

Data#3 clinched a number of significant customer wins in the past year, including more than 12,000 devices to Queensland schools and over 4000 to the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

Trident Computer Services was named HP's education partner of the year, and NTT Communications ICT Solutions won the award for value partner of the year.

Computer Alliance was named SMB partner of the year.

Synnex and Ingram Micro were both awarded major distributor awards, with Synnex taking home the trophy for PC distributor of the year, and Ingram named print distributor of the year.

Dicker Data's Karen Pyke was named distribution sales rep of the year.

Rounding out HP's print awards were Cartridges Direct (supplies partner of the year), KS Computer Technology (transactional print partner of the year), and RBC Group (commercial print partner of the year).

HP's Mesaros also used his awards night speech to call for a more inclusive technology channel, in light of the results of Australia's historic survey on marriage equality, in which more than 60 percent of the nation voted yes.

"In order for us to continue to grow, for us to continue to prosper and reach new heights, we're really going to have to lead. As leaders we're going to have to stand for something and create an environment that empowers our people to be who they," Mesaros said.

"Studies show that a third of our employees continue to hide who they are – their preferences – at work, which quite frankly is really a shame. Really, what we want to ensure is that every single one of our people can continue to walk proud and stand tall without prejudice," he added.

Full list of winners