Mark Kahr, MD of Exertis Telecom LLC speaks with Channel Post MEA about how the company has evolved over the years to be become an dominant player in the distribution of consumer IT products, and shares his excitement of now entering into enterprise distribution space
How would you describe your company?
Over 4 decades we have been making extraordinary happen. Exertis is an established global distributor of consumer and business products. We’re leaders in distributing technology, driving innovation and adding value through our specialist services. We have been successfully trading in the GCC for over a decade and continue to expand in market segments, territories and our product offering across the MENA region. The main driver that stands us apart from others is the relationships we build and maintain with both suppliers and our customers.
Where do you stand currently in terms of your product portfolio and how do you decide which products are more suitable for you than others?
Our current portfolio is selective and purposeful, allowing us to become experts in what we do, offering our customers and suppliers unrivalled service, which is not diluted by a broadline approach. For many years we have been focusing on building our consumer portfolio and supplying the biggest retailers and e-commerce platforms in the MENA region.
Recently, in line with our global strategy, we have expanded our Enterprise division to this region and are in the process of onboarding solutions in the Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation space to address SMB and Enterprise market requirements. At this time, we have signed Cyfirma, a Threat Intelligence platform and DefensX, a Zero Trust Browser technology and will soon be announcing several more. On the technologies selection, we are looking to work with innovative and emerging vendors new to the territory, which makes our job challenging and exciting. Over time we will be adding more established vendors to our portfolio to commercially balance our offering.
Which are your key markets for you in the region and how do plan to increase your footprint in the Middle East & Africa?
We actively trade across the GCC region today and set our sights further afield in the coming months and years. Especially with the introduction of our Enterprise division, we have no reservations about trading with the wider Middle East and Africa.
What value do you add to your channel partners?
Our commitment is to offer vendor-level experience to our channel partners and clients in both pre-sales and post-sales activities. That is why our team consists of leading individuals coming from a vendor background. This is a key differentiator as we can provide sales and technical support without delay. This service and support to our suppliers mean we become an important and preferred partner to our vendors.
What kind of support do you offer to your partners?
We are working closely with our channel partners and vendors to provide sales and technical enablement both online and in person at our Dubai office. In addition, we are planning to launch different incentive programs to motivate and reward channel partners that work with us.
Why should channel partners work with you and what can they expect from your organisation going forward?
We offer the full suite of services that you’d expect from a distributor, localised warehousing, stock availability, credit facilities, account management, digital functionality and marketing support to mention but a few. At the same time, we are excelling in providing sales and technical support services equal to that of the vendors.
