Synnex Poaches Ingram GM To Lead Mobility Business

A high-ranking Ingram Micro leader has defected for the second time in four months, this time to run the mobility business at direct competitor Synnex.

The Fremont, Calif.-based distributor has brought Tim Acker on as its vice president of mobility and connected devices, where he will work directly with carriers and OEMs to drive Synnex's business around mobile devices and related products and services.

"With more than 20 years of demonstrated results around mobility, computing, digital media, software, fulfillment and ecommerce, Tim has helped companies dramatically grow revenue, optimize process, develop new products and solutions and improve profitability," TJ Trojan, Synnex's senior vice president of product management, said in a statement.

[RELATED: PCM Names Former Ingram Micro Exec Its New President]

As general manager and senior director of Ingram Micro Mobility, Acker established wearables and accessories businesses after the Santa Ana, Calif.-based distributor acquired mobility specialist BrightPoint for $840 million in October 2012.

Acker also had enterprise mobility and Internet of things (IoT) responsibilities at Ingram Micro, where he worked from 1994 to 1999 and again from 2010 until January.

Likewise, Synnex expects Acker to further develop its MobilitySolv platform as IoT becomes more pervasive. That practice is focused on end-to-end mobility and connectivity offerings.

Prior to working at Ingram Micro, Acker spent a year as a channel services consultant at Cisco Systems and five years as a co-owner and principal at Evolve Partners, which primarily provides IT services to the federal vertical.

Before that, Acker spent four years guiding the $1 billion e-commerce business unit at Digital River, and a year as vice president and chief technology officer of eSystems Design. Synnex praised Acker's expertise in sales, product marketing, information systems, and channel and business development.

Acker's departure comes just three months after former Ingram Micro Advanced Technology Division Vice President and General Manager Jay Miley decamped to become president of solution provider PCM. Miley had been part of Ingram Micro's channel team for two decades at the time of his exit.

Since Miley's departure, Ingram Micro has reorganized its advanced technology and advanced computing divisions into a single advanced solutions division.

The distributor suffered another loss in late January when storage giant EMC announced that they would be ending their eight-year relationship with Ingram Micro by April.

Ingram Micro and Synnex didn't immediately return requests for comment.

Magnum Technologies hasn't carried out many mobility sales as of late, but is looking to grow its mobility practice in 2015, according to company president Raj Subramanian. The Warren, N.J.-based solution provider does 40 percent of its business through Synnex, Subramanian said.

While Subramanian is pleased with the depth of Synnex's mobility offerings, he said he would like Acker to work on improving the distributor's prospecting, pre-sales support and pricing flexibility.

PUBLISHED FEB. 9, 2015