George told Comms Business Magazine that as from yesterday he is now Executive Chairman of Battersea based reseller Redwood Telecom after investing in the company.
“I retired prematurely from the telecoms industry after my company was purchased and feel that I have a lot more left to offer a company such as Redwood. We will be now undertaking a strategic review of our business but growth is very much on the agenda. We have a very solid base of high quality customers.”
The move has been widely anticipated by Comms Business Magazine who has been in regular contact with George since he left Crane. Redwood, who focus on Avaya and Mitel systems as well as having a strong relationship with COLT, will enable David George to re-new many of his old contacts.
In a statement the company said
“David George’s role will be to develop Redwood’s strategy for growth, manage key elements of the company administration and maximise profitability. He will take over the management of relationships with Redwood’s key suppliers and seek out new partnerships to meet the needs of the 21st Century customer.
In addition to his role, David has taken a significant stake in the business in exchange for a substantial investment and becomes an equal partner with Charles Whelpton and David Hamer, the founding directors of Redwood. This investment will be used to grow and develop the Company and provide Redwood with a strong balance sheet which will enable the Company to exploit opportunities presented by current market conditions.
David George is a leading and well-known figure within the UK telecommunications industry and brings with him a wealth of experience in the UK and European telecommunications arena, having originally worked for Sony, then STC before becoming a board director of National Telecom PLC. In 1990 David founded Crane Telecommunications Limited and over the ensuing years successfully built the business on distribution of LG, Avaya and other leading telecommunications equipment brands. Crane soon became the number one distributor in the UK.
The business subsequently expanded into Europe and Crane soon became established as Avaya’s second largest distributor globally. The business grew rapidly with revenues in excess of £70m in May 2007 when the company was sold to Datatec.
Commenting on his new role David George explained: “I felt the need to get back into the industry quickly to capitalise on my experience and skills and this opportunity arose. I have known Redwood and in particular the two shareholders and directors Charlie Whelpton and David Hamer for over 15 years, the business is well-established, has an excellent reputation in the market place and is ideally positioned for expansion. We will carry out a detailed review of the business before launching our plan for growth. I also believe this is a great time to be involved in a dynamically changing market.”