Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, announce a change in leadership as Graham McBeth retires from his position as President of Premier Farnell. Parent company, Avnet, introduced Chris Breslin, currently senior vice president for global products at Premier Farnell as McBeth’s replacement at its Investor Day event in New York City held on Thursday 14thJune. Breslin will report to Pete Bartolotta, chief transformation officer at Avnet, as he leads the Premier Farnell business and continues to drive synergies with the Avnet organisation.McBeth took the helm at Premier Farnell when the business was acquired by Avnet in 2016 and has delivered double-digit growth and profitability under his leadership.
Pete Bartolotta, Chief Transformation Officer for Avnet, said of Graham McBeth’s retirement: “Graham’s ability to lead an organization and get the very best out of his team shows, as the business results speak for themselves. Graham—thank you for the contributions you have made during your time at Avnet.”
Bartolotta added, on Chris Breslin’s appointment “As Avnet and Premier Farnell continue to deliver on Avnet’s end-to-end ecosystem strategy, the strength of our senior leadership team remains one of our greatest assets, as evident by Chris’ appointment to lead Premier Farnell. He brings the experience, knowledge of the business and leadership style that will help Premier Farnell continue to grow.”
Breslin joined Premier Farnell in July of 2014 as chief product officer, and during his tenure, globalized Premier Farnell’s asset and product organization and greatly improved the company’s customer proposition by adding several dozen new suppliers.
Prior to Premier Farnell, Breslin spent five years as the chief operating officer for Crescent Electric Supply Company, one of the largest electrical wholesalers in North America. He was responsible for the company’s $1B P&L, and grew their operating profit significantly in a span of three years. Breslin has more than 14 years in the industry in various management positions.
Breslin will assume the new position immediately and McBeth will stay with Premier Farnell until the end of July, allowing time for a thorough handover between the leaders.
Avnet remain committed to protecting the Premier Farnell brand and sales model which continues to deliver value for shareholders and customers. Premier Farnell operates as Farnell element14 in EMEA, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.
