CISCO Systems Scotland has appointed the UK’s first territory market managers to spearhead its new year drive into the small-to-medium-sized business market.
Robin Stead has been appointed to manage the global internet infrastructure company’s "Get connected, get secure, get talking, get mobile" campaign in the west of the Scotland, while Damian Wilk will cover the east of the country.
The campaign is
designed to raise awareness among companies with fewer than 250 employees that Cisco technology products, once considered the sole preserve of larger corporates, are within their reach.
Gordon Thomson, country manager of Scotland for Cisco Systems Limited, said: "There is a misconception in the market that Cisco technology is just for multinationals and larger players.
"In reality, we are a solutions provider but unlike others serving the SMB market, Cisco offers smaller businesses a growth plan, with access to the same functionality and quality as our larger clients.
"Our aim is to help Scottish SMBs grow and be successful by providing access to cutting-edge technology which will enable them to more effectively manage costs, while providing value-added service to their clients.
"The appointment of Robin and Damian, stalwarts with Cisco - each boasting more than five years’ experience with the company - is designed to help Scotland’s SMB sector steal a march on the rest of the UK."
Noble Group has appointed David Page as chief executive of Noble Partnership, provider of administration services to companies and investment vehicles. Noble is a leading independent, UK investment bank.
Prior to joining, Mr Page was a senior executive with the Royal Bank of Scotland, where his responsibilities have included strategic planning, sales and marketing, operational risk and control, IT, outsourcing and regulated joint venture activity across the retail investment businesses.
He has fifteen years of financial services experience, mainly with the Royal Bank of Scotland, and prior to that he spent ten years in the Army in military intelligence.
Ben Thomson, chief executive of Noble said: "I am delighted to confirm that David Page is joining Noble.
David’s success and experience at RBS will be invaluable as we continue to develop our client services division.
"David’s appointment will help us maintain our position as a leading provider of bespoke, value-added accounting and legal services for financial vehicles and PFI operational management."
The management service is provided primarily to PFI project companies and property investment vehicles, and comprises general executive management and public sector/tenant relationship man- agement.
The administration service comprises book-keeping, accounting, taxation, compliance, company secretarial, insurance and risk management (including FSA compliance) services.
Current clients include Infrastructure Investors LP (I2), the joint venture between Barclays Private Equity and Societe Generale, Pinnacle Schools (Fife) Ltd and Enterprise VCT.
MercuryTide, an Edinburgh-based internet technology development company, has announced the appointment of Billy Blackie as sales and marketing director.
A former professional footballer, with 18 years’ experience in sales and senior management covering the licensed trade and pharmaceutical industries, including blue-chip companies Whitbread, Lilly and Pfizer, Mr Blackie will be responsible for driving MercuryTide forward to become one of Scotland’s leading IT development companies.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Blackie said: "Having spent my career to date with multinational companies, the opportunity to join MercuryTide at this stage in their development was far too good too resist.
"The company has exceptional intellectual ability and their customer care and focus is outstanding.
"Whilst the challenges presented to small Scottish companies are well documented, MercuryTide is well positioned to become one of Scotland’s major success stories."
MercuryTide is a developer of web applications.
The company uses the latest developments in software engineering to develop web sites and web-based applications from e-commerce to corporate intranets and government portals. The company’s client list includes: Prudential, Faithful & Gould and Edinburgh City Council.
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