Westcoast's Alex Tatham Departs for New Role at Reseller

In a surprising announcement, Westcoast managing director Alex Tatham will leave the distributor for a role at a U.K. channel partner.

In a LinkedIn post, Tatham prefaced the announcement with “Shock news!”

NSC Global’s Alex Tatham

He said he will leave Westcoast to start as the new global head of clients and marketing at NSC Global. Tatham described feeling “proud, emotional and a host of other emotions.”

He wrote: “After 25 years in distribution, there are too many people to say thank you to — but clearly the last 14 years at Westcoast has been extraordinary.

“Developing the UK’s leading distributor and shouting about its success has been a phenomenal ride and I leave the business with a superb team and giant reputation. Thank you to all the vendors that have and continue to help, and customers that have trusted us with their business, and particularly those that have supported me personally. It’s a wonderful channel and one that I can shout about from a different (reseller!) direction in the future.”

Tatham went on to thank his team.

“It’s a team effort for sure and it always has been and will be in my new role too,” he wrote.

The exec finishes at Westcoast on July 31 and will start at NSC Global on Sept. 26.

Advocate for Distribution

Alex Tatham is seen by many as the face of Westcoast, and a vocal advocate for distribution. He joined Westcoast in 2009 as sales and marketing director before becoming managing director in 2014.

Westcoast became the UK’s largest privately owned IT business and technology distributor during Tatham’s tenure at the company It most recently posted £3.7 billion in revenue.

At last month’s Channel Partners Europe event, Tatham was bullish about the future of distribution. He said the headwinds distribution faces are nothing new, and the industry has always been able to adapt and thrive.

“I’ve been in distribution for 25 years and that has been said to me for 25 years,” he said. “The fastest growing business in the U.K. is distributors who [are] doing more and more. Somehow, they seem to be adapting to those challenges. I think you’ll find the distributors are extremely adaptable to whatever situation is required.