Sirius Computer President Moves Aside
Najim has held the president, CEO and chairman positions at Sirius for 27 years, but the size and complexity of the growing company dictates that those responsibilities now be shared, Najim said in a statement.
Sirius is the largest IBM channel partner in the U.S., according to the company, and was No. 77 on the VARBusiness 500 list last year. In 2006 VARBusiness presented Najim with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mertens will supervise all revenue-producing teams at Sirius, including alliance managers, product specialists, account executives, consultants, and marketing professionals. "Joe understands the IBM Business Partner program, the IT landscape, the products and solutions our clients are looking for, the need to partner with leading technology providers, and the importance of providing total solutions to our clients that include expert consulting services," Najim said.
Najim will continue to oversee the company's finance, accounting, IT and human resource operations. The company said growing sales and decreasing operational costs are primary areas of focus in 2008.
Mertens began his career with Sirius, which was known as Star Data Systems at the time. When the company's wholesale and distribution divisions were sold to Savior Technology Group in 1997 and renamed Business Partner Solutions, Mertens became president and CEO of the subsidiary. He later became president and chief operating officer of Savior. When Avnet Computer Marketing acquired Savior in 2000 Mertens became executive vice president and general manager of the IBM Business Unit and was later named executive vice president of business development. He returned to Sirius as executive vice president in May 2002.