This week PB Tech's founder Pat Huo announced Gary Bigwood would be joining the team as chief executive officer as of February 1st 2020 with sights set on the company's next phase of growth.
This follows an announcement from Ingram Micro NZ stating that Bigwood would be leaving the company and taking gardening leave from January.
PB Technologies is New Zealand's largest computing and IT retailer, founded in 1993 and now with 12 stores and service centres throughout the country and more than 600 staff.
In a statement Huo said, “We are delighted that Gary has chosen to join the PB Tech team as CEO, as we enter our next phase of growth in the new decade.
“Gary brings with him a wealth of experience and industry knowledge when it comes to running a very large and complex NZ based IT company, and we are looking forward to having him on our team."
On the proposed growth, Huo says, “I am incredibly proud of what the PB Tech team have achieved to date. PB Tech has grown tremendously over the last 26 years. [...] We have plans to continue expanding the business further while delivering the most outstanding and professional experience for our customers.
After Osbourne, and a brief period working for a vendor, Bigwood joined Tech Pacific in 1996 which was later purchased by Ingram Micro in 2004.
He started as product manager and moved through management roles in product, channel, sales, and general management until a promotion to lead the local business as managing director in 2008. Recognising his work in the space, Bigwood was inducted into the NZ Reseller News ICT Hall of Fame in 2016.
Bigwood says, “I am really excited by the new opportunity and looking forward to getting started. My first role in the NZ IT industry in the early 1990s was with a local OEM PC Assembler, Osbourne Computers, so you could say I am returning to my roots.
He says, “I really enjoyed my time at Ingram Micro and it was a privilege to work with such an awesome team. However, a new and exciting opportunity is ahead. PB Tech is a New Zealand company I have admired for a long time, and they are a great team to work with.
"Despite entering a new market segment, the size, scale and complexity is familiar ground, so 2020 will be an exciting year.
In addition to the bricks and mortar retail and service locations, PB Tech also has dedicated commercial, education, online, wholesale, and service divisions operating from its head office/distribution centre in Manukau, Auckland.