Nu Horizons UK MD Tony Frere Retires
Nu Horizons Electronics has announced that UK managing director, Tony Frere, is retiring from the company on December 31st, 2009. Frere, together with David Zelkha and Geoff Rose, founded DT Electronics in 1988, initially distributing electronic components into the broadcast industry.
They built the distributor into a £18 million business by 2006 through focusing on delivering in-depth technical support for customers using advanced semiconductors and power electronics devices. While the markets served by the company expanded into other areas, it remained the UK’s leading component supplier into the broadcast sector, securing numerous customer and supplier awards.
Nu Horizons Electronics Corp., the world’s 5th largest publicly quoted semiconductor distributor, purchased DT Electronics in August 2006, since which time annual UK sales have grown to around £25 million, despite the present economic downturn.
Frere said, “Nu Horizons was a good match for DT Electronics. We shared the same philosophy of recruiting very strong technical support teams as semiconductor manufacturers came to rely upon distributors for demand creation. Nu Horizons brought new franchises and a global perspective to our UK operations, so it really was a matter of building on each others’ strengths after the acquisition. There’s now a very talented team of enthusiastic and capable people to take over the reins and I am sure that the business will enjoy future success.”
Arthur Nadata, Executive Chairman and Acting CEO of Nu Horizons, added: “Tony did a great job of building DT Electronics into a successful and highly respected business. Since the firm became part of Nu Horizons, he has been instrumental in building a team that will continue the values of the company he founded – great technical support and a passionate commitment to customer service.”
Frere’s successor has not yet been named but Phil Gee, VP Sales Europe, will run the Coventry-based UK business in the interim.
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