Avnet Abacus, one of Europe’s leading interconnect, passive, electro-mechanical and power distributors and a business unit of Avnet, Inc., has announced the appointment of Nigel Ward as president of Avnet Abacus with immediate effect. He replaces Graham McBeth who takes on a new role as president of Premier Farnell, a global distributor of electronic components that utilises a digital platform to provide innovators and engineers with the latest products, services and development software, and which was recently acquired by Avnet.
Ward’s career within Avnet spans almost three decades. Since the acquisition of Abacus in 2009, he has been at the helm of the Avnet Abacus and Avnet Silica businesses in the UK, with additional responsibility as regional vice president for Avnet Silica in Northern Europe. For the past two years, he has also headed up Avnet Silica’s lighting business across EMEA, driving a significant increase in its footprint in key lighting markets.
Ward’s deep knowledge of the volume distribution sector, and tenured experience within Avnet, positions him well as the natural successor to lead Avnet Abacus in a dynamically changing market environment.
Miguel Fernandez, president of Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA, said: “Nigel brings excellent leadership skills to our executive team, and is a strong motivating force within the company. His strong experience at Avnet will ensure a seamless changeover of senior management at Avnet Abacus and secure the continued high levels of service to our customers and partners achieved under Graham. We wish both Graham and Nigel every success in their new roles.”
“Since the inception of Avnet Abacus in 2009, and during his time as president, Graham developed the company into one of the most well-respected IP&E business in Europe, with a solid product portfolio, strong technical skills and local support,” said Ward. “We have worked closely together over the past seven years and I intend to build upon his legacy to guide our teams to continued growth and success.”
Ward is succeeded in his previous role by Chris Shipway, who has been with the company for almost 20 years serving as country director and most recently as marketing director for Avnet Silica UK and Ireland.
