Frank Vitagliano, who led channels with Dell EMC, Juniper Networks and IBM, has been named CEO of the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC), the world’s largest international consortium of technology distributors.

GTDC’s Frank Vitagliano

He becomes the organization’s third CEO since its founding in 1998, replacing Tim Curran, who retired earlier this year after 16 years in the position. He most recently was president and CEO of Computex, a company that delivers data centers, enterprise infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud and managed services.

Vitagliano tells us he will be running GTDC and acting as the “voice of distribution in the industry and speaking to the value of all of our members.”

“I’ve been in the industry a long time, and I understand the channel ecosystem very well from a supply-chain standpoint,” he said. “Although I’ve never worked for a distributor, I’ve worked with distributors and as a distribution customer for decades. That’s given me a very clear understanding of the value distribution needs to display in the marketplace along with the way that value must continue to evolve in the face of emerging technologies.”

Vitagliano’s 30-plus years of experience includes senior executive positions with IBM, Juniper Networks and Dell, with responsibilities ranging from sales and general management to his mainstay channel business roles over the past three decades.

“The key for distributors is continuing to stay relevant and provide value amidst the changing tech landscape,” he said. “It’s not just about pick, pack and ship, obviously; it’s about providing exceptional value in supporting digital transformation. Distribution has stood up to constant calls of disintermediation over the years, but it will continue to remain relevant going forward because of the value it offers all the way through the cycle of support, training and other critical services.”

Vitagliano said his first order of business is listening to all of the players in the channel ecosystem.

“I’ve already been spending a lot of time with the members of our executive council here at the GTDC, which includes executives from the four largest global distributors,” he said. “And I plan to spend a lot more time with other distributors, vendors and, of course, solution providers. I want to help convey and communicate the essential value of distribution throughout the supply chain.”

GTDC members drive more than $150 billion in annual global sales of products, services and solutions through diverse business channels. It’s members include such companies as Arrow Electronics, CMS Distribution, D&H Distributing, Ingram Micro, Synnex, Tech Data and Westcon-Comstor.

“Frank is an ideal choice for this dynamic industry role,” said Alain Monié, GTDC chairman and Ingram Micro‘s CEO. “He brings a wealth of related experience from the entire ecosystem, including partnering with top technology distributors, OEM’s and solution providers. I’m confident Frank will excel as an extraordinary advocate of progressive partnerships in this era of unprecedented innovation and demand for high-caliber supply-chain relationships across the world.”