Kenton Fine: “We are now ready to take the next step”

I’m looking back to one year ago, a few weeks after completing the acquisition of Getronics, and I can’t help but think about the incredible journey it’s been since.

Firstly, let’s not forget: we were still experiencing the first waves of the pandemic. With no idea of how long the pandemic would last, we (my business partners and I) were convinced that we were doing the right thing. We knew that Getronics, at its core, had incredible potential to help lessen the disruption Covid was creating for businesses around the world.

And we were not wrong…

Over the last year, we’ve helped hundreds of customers to stay productive while remote. We quickly adapted our service model to support workers in their homes. We became more remote ourselves and re-engineered our tooling to be less reliant on traditional, physical support. And we adapted again. This time, to address “new normal” challenges in adding new features to our smart spaces proposition that ensured the health and safety of our customers’ building occupants: contact-less access, smart ventilation, face-mask recognition were all implemented. The list goes on and on.

Despite the challenges, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved – as a business and, more importantly, as colleagues joining together. This is why, while reflecting on these last 12 months, I wanted to share three things I’ve learned.

1. We are not just a technology company

An interesting concept considering technology underpins all that we offer our customers. But it’s true; we are a technology services company. Services have underpinned all that I have done for over 30 years, and the service culture I have seen at Getronics is truly unmatchable. I’m constantly receiving stories of how our people went above and beyond to solve a customer challenge. Or, I’m forwarded customer feedback praising a “heroic” act from one of our delivery teams. Technology, in the end, is the enabler for us to create fantastic value-added solutions for our customers. The rest comes to our people.

2.  On that note, it’s all about the people

While it all begins with our customers, our success lies with our people. Being accountable, being able to make decisions (and act on them), being professional, modest, and respectful are all important values, and I am pleased to see them embedded in every colleague at Getronics.

3. We need to be more curious and be creative

I consider myself a creative person. I also see this in the colleagues we work with every day, whether it’s in finance, our operating model, or when it comes to translating complex technology into real business solutions for our customers. Creativity comes in all forms and shapes and thinking outside of the box is key in our industry – anyone can “do cloud” or “digital workplace”, but the ability of our colleagues to stay curious and to think differently is what will set us apart from the crowd.

So what’s next?

After seeing some exciting organic growth and having strengthened relationships with our customers and partners in the past 12 months, we are now ready to take the next step.

As we continue to work towards our vision of reimagining the digital future, you can expect to see further innovation around the digital experience, new investments, and business partnerships to grow our footprint, which will then open new opportunities for our people to grow and develop. You can expect to be delighted by Getronics! We surely are working on it.