Inde appoints Barbara Kidd as General Manager, Product

Inde Technology has appointed Barbara Kidd as General Manager, Product. She is based in Auckland.

Kidd joins the New Zealand technology company after more than 30 years in the ICT industry, including 21 years at Ingram Micro. She spent close to a decade leading Ingram Micro Cloud NZ and was part of both the New Zealand leadership team and the global Ingram Micro Cloud leadership team.

In the new role, she will lead Inde's procurement and licensing function, including relationships with vendors and distributors. She will also help build a more specialised team that joins customer discussions earlier and provides licensing reviews, advice and recommendations.

Kidd began her career in marketing before moving into product management. At Ingram Micro, she was Microsoft Product Manager before becoming Business Manager for Microsoft and later Business Manager for the newly established cloud division.

She then became General Manager of Ingram Micro Cloud, leading the business for six years. During that time, she grew the team from five to 23 people across sales, marketing, support and technical architecture, and set the division's go-to-market strategy for New Zealand.

Closer to customers

Kidd said the move gives her a chance to work more directly with organisations using the technology.

"In distribution, your customer is the reseller, so you rarely get in front of the end customer. I'm excited to be far more engaged with our customers, to understand exactly what they're looking for and make sure we're getting the right solution to them. I'd also heard a lot about Inde's award-winning reputation in the market, and from my first interview I felt a real connection with the culture and the importance placed on team and customer," said Barbara Kidd, General Manager, Product, Inde Technology.

Her initial focus will be on understanding the business before making changes.

"Our team sits right in the middle of sales, technical and the customer. I want us to be involved early, so we can work with our vendors to get the most value out of every opportunity, share that with our customers, and make sure what they're buying is the right decision from the start rather than further down the track," Kidd said.

"My first 30 days are really about listening and learning, and not putting too many assumptions on anything. I'm already enjoying being part of this team, and I'm looking forward to helping Inde move towards where it wants to go," she said.

Strategic role

The appointment adds a senior executive in an area Inde has identified as important to its client work and internal growth plans. Licensing and procurement have become more central for technology resellers as customers manage software subscriptions, cloud purchasing and vendor relationships across a wider mix of products and services.

Kidd will work with Inde's leadership team, customers and technical specialists as the company develops its approach in that area. Her experience across licensing, cloud and channel relationships was a key factor in the appointment.

Dave Veronese, Chief Executive Officer at Inde, said the company wanted someone to take responsibility for the function and shape its direction.

"We were looking for someone to take ownership of our procurement and licensing capability, shape its strategy and drive innovation, and Barbara brings exactly that. She has a depth of experience across licensing, cloud, vendor and distributor relationships, along with a proven track record of building teams. Barbara will work closely with our leadership team, customers and technical specialists to evolve our offerings in line with market needs and our growth strategy. We're delighted to welcome her to Inde," said Dave Veronese, Chief Executive Officer, Inde.