Ken Hogan

Ken co-founded Tectrade in 1991 and has been CEO of the Tectrade group since 1997.

As a chartered accountant, he held a number of roles in both practice and industry before joining the IT industry in 1985, working in computer financing. He founded Tectrade in 1991 with Shelagh Elkins, initially in the UK and then in Holland in 1994 with Nicolai Kippersluis. Tectrade's early business focused on reselling used IBM mainframe and mid-range equipment.

In 1997, Ken became CEO and took responsibility for driving Tectrade's shift from used equipment to new. Over the two years 1997-1999, the Tectrade Group saw the share of new equipment sales grow from 20% to 80% of revenues. In 1998, recognising the need for greater specialisation and value-add, Ken set up a new team in the UK focusing on open systems storage and backup, today, this is the mainstream of both the UK and Dutch businesses.

Over the last 20 years, Ken has helped guide Tectrade through a number of fundamental shifts in technology and through economic recessions. He has achieved this by building strong teams who have been able to drive through change and maintain profitability. Since 2006, Ken has been working closely with Alex Fagioli, the COO, to develop and market Tectrade's industry-leading managed service portfolio. Ken's focus today is developing the strategy and the next generation of leaders for the Tectrade Group.  

Alex Fagioli 

Since joining Tectrade in 1999 as an experienced technical consultant, Alex has held a number of senior positions. After proving his capabilities in re-engineering the Tectrade pre-sales methodology, he was promoted to Technical Director in 2003. In this role, he created a robust and scalable management structure that helped the company to grow rapidly and sustainably. In 2006, Alex was appointed CTO and took responsibility for designing and delivering Tectrade's industry-leading managed services portfolio.

Today, as COO, Alex is responsible for both the strategic vision and the day-to-day running of the business. In addition to managing key accounts from the commercial and technical perspectives, he is actively developing stronger relationships with technology vendors. With a philosophy based on commitment and team work, Alex is leading Tectrade's continuing significant investment in personnel development, aiming to take the company forward to new successes in the future.

Alex is also a highly accomplished speaker at both customer and vendor events, and a regular contributor on vendor development forums.

Mike Rickards

As Service Development Director, Mike is responsible for the existing and future portfolio of Tectrade services. After securing a BA Honours degree in Economics, he began his career in IT sales in 1983. Mike worked in a variety of roles across mainframe systems sales and leasing, before joining Tectrade in 1994 - initially as a salesman for IBM midrange systems, and ultimately progressing to the Tectrade board in 1999 with responsibility for Tectrade’s IBM AS/400 business.

In 2003, Mike took on overall responsibility for developing Tectrade's business in the north of England and Scotland. The experience gained from this ongoing client management role complements Mike's service development activities, giving him an excellent understanding of what clients actually want to buy.  Since the end of 2010, Mike has overseen a complete overhaul and rebranding of the Tectrade service portfolio, working across technical, operational and commercial teams to ensure greater clarity in service descriptions. He has also introduced a more granular approach to service provision, making it easier for clients to select the specific functions they wish to out-task.

Managed services are a crucial element in the strategic direction of the whole Tectrade group. Mike works closely with his fellow directors, with technical teams, with IBM as a partner, and with clients to keep the service portfolio optimised, both now and for the future.

Nicolai Kippersluis

Nicolai is Chief Executive Officer and founder of Tectrade BV in the Netherlands. After graduating from HEAO-CE (economics and business administration) and NIMA-C (marketing), Nicolai joined the IT industry in 1989, selling IBM mid-range systems. He founded Tectrade BV in 1993, and guided the company to official IBM Business Partner status two years later.

As CEO of the Dutch operations and a Director of the Tectrade Group, Nicolai works with the UK executive team to set the strategy and ensure that the organisation remains completely aligned to its clients' goals across infrastructure, managed services and cloud solutions. In particular, this means continuous and significant investment in training and development for Tectrade personnel, and in the Tectrade BV solution demonstration centre. 

Nicolai firmly believes that skilled and motivated people are the key asset at Tectrade, and he maintains a close focus on employee development and retention. Very low staff turnover contributes to the quality of internal teams and to the strength of Tectrade's long-term client relationships, in which the priority is to continually build new value around technology.

Nicolai's quality-driven approach to Tectrade's strategy, organisation and solution portfolio, and the company's resulting success in the Dutch IT market, saw Tectrade named IBM Business Partner of the Year 2009 in the Netherlands, and runner-up in 2010. He continues to pursue a strategy of sustainable organic growth, keeping risk to a minimum and ensuring strong ongoing collegial and client relationships.