When the dust settled, the managing directors of both companies left on the same day in May 2005 after a brief spell with Baillie in charge and Rust running operations. Former Tech Pac Asia-Pacific CFO, Guy Freeland, was announced as the new Ingram Micro Australia boss, with Walters as commercial sales director.
The importance of people
But it wasn’t long before he was given the new challenge of heading up its new Solutions Group as Ingram looked to dabble in the value market. After a couple of years driving that business, responsibility was handed over to Stuart Ellis and the retail division has been aded to Walters’ portfolio in recent months. But no matter which area of the market he is focused on, Walters said people are people and your value proposition remains the most important thing to remember.
“The channel is very fluid and there’s a lot of ebb and flow. If you’ve got the ability to get on with people and relate to them then you have better sustainability,” he said. “Those who don’t understand those people relationship skills tend to be too hard at times, but we are all in business for a long time and the channel doesn’t forget so you need to maintain relationships and have integrity.
“It’s crucial to stick to your personal behaviours commensurate to the environment you’re operating in. If you can look people in the face and say ‘you might not like it but this is what I believe in’ then that’s fine as long as you express it professionally.”
Walters, who has only been in the IT industry for a decade, was visibly shocked when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the recent ARN IT industry Awards. He had polled more votes than anybody among the reseller community and paid tribute to the people he has worked with over the years.
“The only reason I’ve been able to win an award like that is because of the teams I’ve had around me at LAN Systems, Tech Pac and Ingram who have made me look good!” he said. Standing up there and looking around at some of the people in the room was pretty humbling really.”
