Arrow Replaces ECS President With Ex-Avnet Exec

Gilroy is leaving to pursue other interests, according to Arrow.

"We thank Kevin for his contributions to the success and growth of ECS, and wish him well in his new endeavors," said Mike Long, president and COO of Arrow.

Bryant will have responsibility for the global operations of Arrow ECS business and report to Long. Most recently, he was COO of Jennings Strouss, a law firm in the Phoenix area. When he left Avnet, he was president of Avnet Logistics, but held several other executive-level sales, marketing and operational roles there. He also served as general manager of Future Electronics, a distributor of electronic components and connector products. "Andy brings a wealth of experience to the business and is a strong addition to our leadership team," said Long in a statement. "As we look to create further long-term opportunities for our resellers, vendors and end customers, Andy will work to build upon and accelerate the continued growth and success of our ECS business." Cathy Morris, who also served as co-president of Arrow ECS, has been appointed to the role of chief strategy officer and will report to Mr. Long.

Gilroy joined Arrow in December 2006 after serving as CEO of OnForce. He is best-known for a long stint as a channel executive Hewlett-Packard.

Brian Alexander, senior vice president of equity research at Raymon James and Associates, wrote in a note that Bryant becomes the fourth person to hold the post of president or co-president of the ECS business segment within two years.

"We understand why Arrow would make a change. The business has become more global, with European acquisitions adding another layer of complexity to the business. Moreover, significant new vendors and product categories have been added to the portfolio, where existing management has little expertise," Alexander wrote. "Although the move is necessary, we question the fit given Mr. Bryant's lack of experience with enterprise computing distribution. Even though Mr. Bryant has had a renowned career and is a veteran of the tech distribution industry, the bulk of his experience is in electronic component distribution [Avnet and Future], which is vastly different than enterprise computing solutions."