Gamma ropes in Softcat's Hellawell as its next chair

Gamma Communications announced the appointment of Martin Hellawell as chair and non-executive director of the board on Thursday, effective from 1 July.

The AIM-traded firm said Hellawell would be taking over from Richard Last, who would step down from the board after serving as chair for nine years.

It said the move aligned with its previous announcements over succession planning for Last

Gamma said Martin Hellawell would bring a wealth of experience from his successful career in the IT industry.

Currently serving as the non-executive chair of Softcat, Hellawell would step down from that position on 31 July, as previously announced by Softcat.

In addition to his role at Softcat, he also serves as non-executive chair of Raspberry Pi, and the AIM-listed musicMagpie.

Additionally, he holds a position as a non-executive director of the AIM-traded Team17.

Prior to his current roles, Hellawell served as the chief executive officer of Softcat from 2006 to 2018.

During his tenure, Softcat achieved significant growth, and successfully floated in London in 2015.

Before joining Softcat, Hellawell spent more than a decade at Computacenter and its associated companies.

His responsibilities included overseeing the marketing function, managing Computacenter's France subsidiary, and leading acquisitions in the UK, Belgium, and Germany.

“The board is delighted to have attracted a candidate with the qualities and experience of Martin,” said senior independent director Henrietta Marsh.

“His commercial track record and industry background means he will provide outstanding direction and support for the board and management team as Gamma focuses on its next stage of growth.

“We are all looking forward to working with him.”

At 1501 BST, shares in Gamma Communications were up 0.66% at 1,171.73p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.