TD Synnex Exec Shake-up: Michael Urban Leaving, Patrick Zammit Is New COO

Michael Urban (left in photo), who will stay on as president, Americas until March 1, will leave a legacy of close cooperation with channel partners after he exits the company, while Patrick Zammit (right in photo) brings to the COO role decades of experience in IT distribution.

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IT distribution powerhouse TD Synnex Thursday said that Michael Urban, who has served as president, Americas for the last four years, will be leaving the company.

TD Synnex, with dual headquarters in Fremont, Calif. and Clearwater, Fla., also said that Patrick Zammit, currently president of the distributor’s European business, will move up the ranks to become chief operating officer where he will report to CEO Rich Hume.

The executive changes are coming two years after Tech Data and Synnex merged to create TD Synnex, the world’s largest IT distributor.

Zammit will be TD Synnex’s first chief operating officer since the merger.

TD Synnex was unable to provide more details about the executive changes by press time. However, a company spokesperson told CRN that no other executive changes are being announced, including who might take over Urban’s position as president, Americas.

Urban joined TD Synnex after the merger from Synnex. He served a total of 12 years between Tech Data, Synnex and TD Synnex.

Urban was also very much involved with TD Synnex’s partner communities, said Paul Benson, president and owner of Virtual Communication Specialists, an Athens, Texas-based solution provider.

Benson, who was involved with the Synnex Varnex partner community for 11 years and has been co-president for the last three years, told CRN that he didn’t envision Urban leaving so quickly and that his presence on the combined TD Synnex CommunitySolv partner community will be missed.

“Michael was highly engaged with partners,” he said. “He really focused on listening to partners. He came to more of our meetings than anybody expected.”

Benson said he has nothing but positive things to say about Urban.

“I didn’t really know him before the TD Synnex merger, but he has done great things for partners,” he said. “A massive effort was needed to bring the two big companies together and Michael supported partners.”

Hume, in a prepared statement, thanked Urban for playing a key role in bringing together TD SYNNEX over the past two years.

“He and his team delivered a very successful merger,” Hume said. “He also drove our business growth and strategy in the Americas, outpacing the market and establishing TD SYNNEX as a leader in the region. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Urban will remain with TD Synnex through March 1 to support Zammit’s transition to his new COO role.

When Zammit becomes TD Synnex’s new COO on January 1, he will bring decades of experience in IT distribution.

He is currently president of TD Synnex’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) business, a position he had held since 2017 at Tech Data before the merger. Prior to that he spent 17 years at Avnet’s European business, leaving that company in 2015 as global president of technology solutions.

TD Synnex’s regional presidents in the Americas, Asia Pacific Japan, and Europe will report to Zammit, who will also be responsible for global strategy and information technology.

Zammit’s replacement is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.