Global technology provider and specialist distributor Westcon-Comstor has appointed Erna de Ruijter-Quist as its first chief people officer in a newly-created role.
De Ruijter-Quist will utilise her organisational development, design and change management experience to accelerate the firm’s transformation as it shifts further to a software and subscription-based recurring revenue model. She will embed a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, and drive employee engagement, while implementing programmes around innovation, internal mobility and learning and development.
She has also become a member of Westcon-Comstor’s executive leadership team, reporting to chief executive officer David Grant with responsibility for all people-related matters.
Originally from the Netherlands and a UK resident, De Ruijter-Quist joins from global enterprise software firm Sage, where she led major organisational redesign programmes and established strategic workforce planning capabilities to supporting its growth agenda. Prior to this, she held international leadership roles at HSBC, Virgin Media, Liberty Global, Sony and GE Capital, with a strong focus on driving organisational change.
De Ruijter-Quist said: “I’m thrilled and honoured to be joining Westcon-Comstor and can’t wait to make a positive impact, empowering our 3,500-plus people around the world to innovate, learn and grow. Westcon-Comstor is a pioneering organisation that performs a vital role at the heart of the technology ecosystem and is redefining IT distribution through its digital and data leadership. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to play a key role in driving future growth.”
Grant added: “Erna’s passion for building great leadership teams and helping individuals, teams and organisations be their best shines through and is one of the main reasons we chose to appoint her to this important role. We are delighted that Erna is joining Westcon-Comstor at such a pivotal point on our journey to becoming the world’s leading data-driven technology provider and specialist distributor of cybersecurity and networking solutions and services.”