| Mon 1 Mar 2004, 11:30 | | Didata board changes |
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Dimension Data Holdings Plc - The Dimension Data Group Names Brett Dawson As
Release Date: 01/03/2004 10:00:01 Code(s): DDT
Dimension Data Holdings plc - The Dimension Data Group Names Brett Dawson as
Group CEO and David Sherriffs as Group CFO; Jeremy Ord remains Group Chairman
Dimension Data Holdings plc
Incorporated in the United Kingdom)
Registration number 3704278
Issuer code: DIDDT
JSE Share Code: DDT
ISIN Code: GB0008435405
The Dimension Data Group Names Brett Dawson as Group CEO and David Sherriffs as
Group CFO; Jeremy Ord remains Group Chairman
JOHANNESBURG, March 1, 2004 - Dimension Data announced today that its Board of
Directors has appointed Brett Dawson as Group Chief Executive Officer and
executive board member of Dimension Data plc. Jeremy Ord, who was previously
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, remains Group Chairman.
Dimension Data"s splitting of the role of Chairman and CEO aligns the Group with
global regulatory and corporate governance best practice. The appointment of a
CEO coincides with the Group"s increased focus on growth strategies during a
time of growing market opportunity.
Malcolm Rutherford has decided to resign from his position as Chief Financial
Officer. Malcolm will step down as executive director on the board of Dimension
Data plc with immediate effect, but will remain on the board in a non-executive
capacity. David Sherriffs has been appointed to succeed Malcolm as Chief
Financial Officer. Commenting on this change, Rutherford said: "I am pleased to
have helped Dimension Data through the difficult years and proud of what we have
achieved as a management team. The Group is now in much better shape and I feel
that it is time to hand over the reins to someone else."
Brett Dawson and David Sherriffs will assume their positions with immediate
effect. Malcolm Rutherford will work closely with David Sherriffs over the next
three months to ensure an orderly handover of his role. Ord commented: "Malcolm
has been working with the Group since 1991 and his contributions have been
substantial. He is an exceptional performer with a detailed knowledge of the
Group and I am pleased he has agreed to stay on our Board as a non-executive
director."
Brett Dawson has served as Dimension Data"s Chief Operating Officer since
October 2002 and has a strong track record and wealth of experience within the
Group. Since joining Dimension Data in 1997, Brett has acted as Financial
Director of the Group joint venture, OmniLink. He was instrumental in growing
the business, which exceeded all business plan objectives and claimed a dominant
market share in the South African market. Following the merger of OmniLink and
The Internet Solutions, Brett was appointed CEO of The Internet Solutions, where
he continued to demonstrate his management strength and ability to maximize
profitability. In September 2001, Brett relocated to take on the role of CFO of
Dimension Data North America. In this role he focused on integrating Group
acquisitions in that territory.
Prior to joining Dimension Data, Brett was responsible for corporate strategy
and planning at National Brands Limited and held corporate finance positions at
Anglovaal Limited and KMPG. Brett is a Chartered Accountant.
"Brett has proven his diverse leadership competencies in many areas of our
business. His recent successes in managing the Group strategy and operations
during extremely difficult global business conditions, coupled with his ability
to maintain, attract, and inspire key talent made it a logical decision to
appoint Brett as CEO," said Ord.
David Sherriffs is a Chartered Accountant who joined the Group in 1997 as a
member of the finance team, primarily involved in corporate finance activities.
In 2000, David was named Vice President of Business Development for Europe and
relocated to Germany. During this time, David was instrumental in developing
and executing the expansion strategies for the European operations through
acquisitions of companies such as Comparex Networks Europe, Chernikeeff and
Merchants in the UK. From 2003, David has served as Group Executive Operations
and has been responsible for business case assessments for strategic projects.
Prior to joining the Dimension Data Group, David served in various financial,
corporate finance and strategy roles for the Anglo American Corporation,
including Executive Assistant to the Chairman. David received his M. Phil in
Management Studies at the University of Oxford.
"Dave"s international business expertise, operational acumen and merger and
acquisition experience give him a rich background and in his capacity as Group
Executive Operations, I have appreciated Dave"s insights and diligence," says
Dawson. "I am excited to have Dave as a key member of my team and look forward
to working together to further improve the company"s financial performance."
Enquiries:
Heidi Geldenhuys Brunswick (South Africa) (27) 11 268 5750
(27) 83 325 8924
Gareth Sharp (27) 83 287 3180
Taryn Proksch (27) 83 273 1301
Tom Buchanan Brunswick (UK) 020 7404 5959
Note to editors
Dimension Data Holdings plc (LSE: DDT) is a leading global technology company.
The Group provides solutions and services that optimise and manage the
performance of IT infrastructures to enable business to build competitive
advantage. To achieve this, the Group delivers solutions using its proprietary
`Application Network" architectural framework and its expertise in networking,
application integration and managed services.
Dimension Data, founded in 1983, had revenues of $2.1 billion in 2003 and
operates in 30+ countries with over 7 500 employees. For more information,
please go to www.didata.com .
No further details as required under Paragraph 16.4 of the FSA Listing Rules
remain to be disclosed in respect of Brett Dawson"s appointment to the Board.
