Press Release

PCA steps up a gear in its drive to reach 1000 member mark

Channel trade body appoints Dennis Scott to business development role to assist chairman Derek Jones and CEO Keith Warburton in accelerating membership recruitment drive

Cambridgeshire, 17th March 2008

The Professional Computing Association (PCA) is crowning the most successful period in its 15-year history by appointing Dennis Scott - a well known and influential figure in the ICT channel - as Business Development Consultant. Scott's task is to encourage more vendors and distributors to join the organisation as full members, thus complimenting the Association's accelerated growth in the reseller community that has seen the PCA's membership grow to more than 850.

Scott has been operating as a consultant in the IT and e-commerce arena, having spent a number of years working for BT. Commenting on his new role with the PCA, he says: "I've been aware of the PCA and its activities for a considerable time now. I've been very impressed by the events I've attended and have the greatest respect for all that the Association has achieved. I now aim to use my expertise to help develop it even further and drive membership towards and beyond the 1000 mark."

PCA Chairman, Derek Jones, is deeply committed to the ongoing success of the PCA. Having recently stepped down from his role at Integra he aims to invest more time over the coming months in the Association. "An even stronger PCA is vitally important for the channel and is good for all the players. Over the years, the actions we've taken on behalf of the marketplace have benefited just about everyone - one of my key roles over the next few weeks will be to make sure that everyone knows that. We have built some great partnerships that bring real benefits to our members, such as the recent membership offer from fixItlocal and the current membership drive featuring GfK. I'll be aiming to make sure that we bring further partnership benefits to all our members and ensure that membership of the PCA becomes an essential ingredient to all who want to do good business in the channel"

Keith Warburton, PCA founder and CEO is enthusiastic about recent developments. "More and more vendors are seeing membership of the PCA as a superb and very cost-effective way to reach out to the reseller community. They know and understand that resellers essential to the effective delivery of their solutions to the widest possible market. By being full members of the PCA, vendors can demonstrate that they really are fully committed to channel partnerships. And at the same time all of our members, large and small, can benefit from the great deals we bring them on a wide variety of products and services ranging from health insurance to tyres. I am delighted that we are able to make use of the services not just of Derek and Dennis but of our whole incredible team of elected and co-opted directors".

The PCA Team will be present on the PCA stand at Channel Expo 21st and 22nd May

-ENDS-

For further information please contact: Kerri Chard Senior PR Consultant The PR Room Ltd Tel: 0845 0942902 Kerri.Chard@theprroom.co.uk

PCA Background

Founded in 1993 the PC Association is a not for profit trade association of businesses from all parts of the ICT Industry, including vendors, distributors, system builders, resellers, publishers and finance organisations. Membership has grown year-on-year and is now in excess of 850. Joint turnover of member tops £50 billion.

The Code of Practice

Defines the way PCA members may interact with customers both pre and post-sale. Members who deal in counterfeit products, or knowingly encourage or facilitate the theft of intellectual property on the part of their customers will have their membership revoked.