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BULLETIN : PEOPLE
Sharp appoints new CEO Europe
Yoshihisa (Bob) Ishida, Executive Vice
President, Sharp Corporation, has been
appointed Chief Executive Office (CEO) of
Sharp Europe. He takes over from Tetsuji
(Ted) Kawamura, who will be moving to a
new role at Sharp Electronics Corporation
(USA).
Ishida, who joined the company as Executive
Vice President in June 2017, will concurrently hold
the position of Head of the AIoT Business Strategy
Office, newly set up to develop applications of AIoT
in electronic products for the home and office. AIoT
is a fusion of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and IoT
(Internet of Things).
Other changes to the management team
include the promotion of Jun (Jeff) Ashida to the
position of President, Sharp Electronics Europe,
reporting to Mr Ishida; and the promotion of Alex
Hermann from Vice President to President of Sharp
Information Systems Europe, reporting to Jun
Ashida.
OKI strengthens sales
team
OKI UK & Ireland has strengthened its
UK senior sales team with three new
appointments, all of whom come from a
business supplies background.
Dave Weston, the new Head of Channel, was
previously at Samsung for seven years, latterly as
Regional Channel Sales Manager.
Stephen Curtis, now OKI UK Head of Key
Accounts, joins from Danwood where he was
Corporate Sales Director. Before this, he was a
director at Computerworld and Head of Business
Development at Commercial Ltd.
The third new hire, Charlie Salter, now Senior
Sales Manager for VARs and Major Accounts,
brings an impressive record of achievement in
sales management within the FMCG and B2B
sectors. He spent four years in different roles at
Brother, most recently managing volume accounts.
Hibbert joins ASL Group
ASL Group has appointed business
strategist and entrepreneur Steve Hibbert
to the board with immediate effect.
Hibbert has taken up the role of Non-
Executive Director, and his brief will be to
contribute to the strategic development of
the business.
Kicking off his career as a Sales Director
in the 1980s, Hibbert built two multi-million-
pound reseller businesses in the copier/print
market, selling them to Danka and Toshiba
respectively. Recently, following board roles at
Toshiba, Danwood and Apogee, Hibbert has been
concentrating on his own business interests in the
IT, motoring & financial sectors.
Mark Garius, Managing Director of ASL Group,
said: “When we found out that someone with
Steve’s quality and experience was available, the
decision to bring him in was easy. The growth
plan that we’re currently working to is ambitious,
and we need the best people working on it to
make it a success. Steve fits that mould perfectly,
and we’re looking forward to seeing how he can
help us grow in the coming months and years.”
New Commercial Director for Bluefish
Nigel Edwards, formerly Managing
Director of the London Graphics Group,
has joined Bluefish as Group Commercial
Director. Reporting to Bluefish Managing
Director Mark Heath, Edwards will take a
lead role in sales, marketing strategy and
development across all group businesses,
including STP Office Supplies and B-Line
Business Supplies.
Group Managing Director Mark Heath
said: “Nigel brings great value and know-
how to Bluefish, allowing us to develop our
existing businesses further and provide exciting
opportunities to push our acquisition plans
further in a challenging market.”
Commenting on the appointment, Edwards
said: “I look forward to expanding the Bluefish
business and building on the strong growth that
it has enjoyed over a number of years. The brand
has an excellent reputation in the marketplace
and I am confident of a positive and strong
future for the business.”
New recruit for RISO
RISO is strengthening its marketing to the UK
private sector, with the recruitment of a new
corporate development manager with responsibility
for growing the firm’s blue-chip client base.
Edward Rozario joins the Elstree, Hertfordshire-
based company from The Regus Group, where he
was an area manager. Before that, he worked in
the communications sector with TNT and Whistl.
Blackbox Solutions takes
on GDPR specialist
Blackbox Solutions has expanded its team with
the appointment of data security expert Stephen
Nolan as Compliance Officer, with responsibility
for reviewing company procedures to ensure
compliance with new GDPR rules. Nolan’s
appointment will also enable Blackbox Solutions to
offer GDPR guidance services to new and existing
clients.
Edward Rozario
Steve Hibbert
Stephen Nolan
