Ger Purcell — Senior Vice President of Information Technology at AVNET INC

Mr. Ger Purcell has been a Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Avnet, Inc. since December 4, 2013. Mr. Purcell serves as a Senior Vice President of Global Information Systems for Avnet Technology Solutions, Inc. He joined Avnet in 2008, and he is responsible for creating the IT strategy for one of Avnet's operating groups -- Avnet Technology Solutions. In this role, he led the development and deployment of a common application portfolio. This has enabled Avnet Technology Solutions to leverage its global scale and scope, while significantly reducing costs. Additionally, Mr. Purcell and his team have played a critical role in integrating more than 20 companies that Avnet has acquired into Avnet Technology Solutions, helping the operating group efficiently expand its footprint in Asia Pacific; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); Latin America; and North America. Mr. Purcell has also played a key role in evolving the IT skillset of Avnet's employees. For example, he developed a Technology Day initiative that provides Avnet's IT team with an opportunity to participate in sessions to learn about new technology areas, which is followed by a job shadowing program. In addition, he leads Avnet's Global Development Centers located in China, which are instrumental in creating a follow the sun IT support model for Avnet. Mr. Purcell was selected by IDG's Computerworld as a 2014 Premier 100 IT Leader honoree.