Microsoft veteran spearheads drive to better serve customer needs in key markets

Windsor, Berks UK, 11 February 2010 – Pitney Bowes Business Insight (PBBI) – a global provider of location intelligence, data management and customer communication management software, data and services – today announces the appointment of Simon Kent to the newly created role of Business Operations Director, Northern Europe based out of the company’s EMEA headquarters in Windsor.  Kent reports directly into Gary Roberts, Regional Director, Northern Europe and Managing Director UK and Ireland.
To support the company’s continued expansion into vertical markets, Kent is charged with extending the existing role of PBBI’s Business Operations Team to get closer to customers and better serve their needs across Northern Europe.

Kent joins PBBI from Microsoft, where he most recently served as UK Sales Programme Manager responsible for account planning, business scorecards and driving customer deployment activity.  During his 12 years at Microsoft, he also held a number of strategic roles including telesales management, specialist sales management, head of service industry sales and UK licensing manager.

“This is an exciting time to be joining PBBI as the company increases its focus on key industry sectors including public sector, financial services, insurance and telecoms,” states Kent.  “The needs of our customers are becoming increasingly complex as they unlock the value of their data assets to drive deeper business understanding and improve competitive performance.  I am confident that my extensive experience of selling to large and medium sized organisations, and of steering complex software and services contracts through to completion, qualifies me to deliver on PBBI’s operational sales objectives in Northern Europe.”

Gary Roberts adds, “As we further develop our Enterprise Sales Team, the requirement of managing Business Operations in Northern Europe increases dramatically in order to drive the levels of control, efficiency, accuracy and professionalism that our customers demand from PBBI.”

Roberts continues, “Simon brings unrivalled experience of direct selling into enterprise customers and understanding the business and technology drivers. Coupled with his eye for detail, excellent analytical approach and a passion for driving professional, efficient sales processes, Simon is a welcome addition to the PBBI team in Northern Europe.”

While completing his degree in Engineering and Management at the University of Strathclyde, Simon was fully sponsored by Michelin Tyre Company, where he worked for six years. Following this, he spent eight years in pre-sales and sales at IBM and three years with insurance solution company Continuum (now part of CSC) prior to joining Microsoft.