Avnet Technology Solutions Expands Capabilities in EMEA and Adds Two New Solution Practices

Wayne Gratton to Lead new EMEA Unified Communications Practice; Mickey Bharat to Lead new EMEA Independent Software Solutions Business

Brussels -- Avnet Technology Solutions, a value-added distributor of enterprise computing solutions and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), today announced the expansion of its EMEA business and has appointed Wayne Gratton as director of Unified Communications EMEA and Mickey Bharat as director of Independent Software EMEA. These promotions will strengthen Avnet Technology Solutions’ focus on two high-growth technology market segments - unified communications and independent software solutions.

Dick Borsboom, president of Avnet Technology Solutions EMEA, emphasizes: “Both the unified communications and independent software technology markets are poised for high growth. By increasing our focus on these technology segments at the regional level, Avnet Technology Solutions aims to accelerate profitable growth opportunities for our business partners across EMEA. Wayne and Mickey have extensive experience in the European IT industry and will leverage their skills and knowledge to develop multi-vendor solutions that can create a competitive advantage for our IT channel partners.”

In his new role, Gratton will be responsible for Avnet Technology Solutions’ Unified Communications EMEA business. Working with standards-based technology, Avnet Technology Solutions has adopted a modular, open architecture approach to building unified communications solutions. These solutions enable Avnet’s business partners to deliver a fully unified communications environment to their customers in simple stages, which can significantly improve how individuals, groups and companies interact and perform. Unified communications solutions bring multiple communications channels, such as fixed and mobile telephony, video conferencing, email, instant messaging and voice messaging, into one coordinated communications environment without the need to replace an entire communications infrastructure.

Gratton joined Avnet Technology Solutions in July 2008 following Avnet’s acquisition of Horizon Technology Group plc. Formerly the technical director of Horizon UK and of the UKI Unified Communications Business Unit, Gratton has 15 years of experience in the IT industry and was one of the founding team members of Clarity Technology, which later became Horizon UK prior to the acquisition by Avnet. Before his career at Horizon, Gratton worked for ICL as a technical manager and for Sun Microsystems as a technical consultant.

As director of Independent Software EMEA, Bharat will be responsible for driving the European strategy for Avnet Technology Solutions’ platform-agnostic independent software vendors, such as Oracle and Novell, as well as virtualisation solutions from Plate Spin, Virtual Iron and Lanamark. These software solutions can be deployed on any industry standard hardware platform and operating system, and enable Avnet Technology Solutions’ business partners to engage with their customers early in the sales cycle, facilitating professional service opportunities and appropriate hardware platform recommendations.

Bharat joined Avnet Technology Solutions in July 2008 following the acquisition of Horizon Technology Group plc, where he was the director of Independent Software in the UK. Bharat has extensive experience in the technology distribution channel. He started his career in the IT industry by joining ICL / Fujitsu Services in 1998. In 2001, Bharat joined Clarity Technology as a SUN Java software architect and then transitioned into a sales role, during which he established Clarity’s professional services business. Before the organisation was renamed to Horizon, Mickey was part of the team that successfully recruited Veritas (Symantec), and EMC as business partners for the company, and established Clarity’s role as the sole Oracle distributor in the UK.

Gratton and Bharat will both report directly to Gary Coburn, senior vice president, Product Business Group Avnet Technology Solutions EMEA.