Provoke has appointed Rob Old to the role of general manager for the Wellington region. The appointment is described by the company as "another significant step in Provoke's carefully crafted expansion strategy".
CEO Mason Pratt, who up until now had the responsibilities that will now be transferred to Old, says this is not a sign of anything other than an effort to focus on the company's international expansion. "I won't be retiring any time soon," says Pratt. "As the CEO of Provoke my immediate long-term focus will be on the group's expansion strategy. I'll continue to work from our Wellington HQ and will stay involved with a number of our strategic customers, but my operational duties will be transitioning over to Rob as soon as practical."
Old has over 18 years experience in the New Zealand technology market, having held sales and general management roles at TelstraClear, PIPC, Fronde, and Microsoft New Zealand.
“Rob’s background made him a stand-out candidate for this role, and his experience with Microsoft was a real deal-clincher” says Pratt.
“I am really excited about joining Provoke” says the new Wellington GM. “I have always admired their work and the way they operate. Provoke has a unique culture which drives the business to constantly strive for leadership. This is an organisation right on top of its game and the opportunity to become part of that was ultimately a very easy decision for me. It’s great to now be one of the Provoke animals.”
The company says the newly created role is a direct result of the expansion strategy that saw Provoke opening an office in Seattle last September. “For the last 5 years, our structure has worked well for developing leadership in the domestic market. As we continue on our growth trajectory and aggressively develop offshore, I wanted to implement a structure that allows us to simultaneously improve the way we serve the local market, while creating a successful international business. This move is strategically very important and it was crucial that we appointed the right person for the role. I’m confident we’ve made an excellent decision.” says Pratt.
“The intention is to transition Rob into his new role over the coming weeks, then look to make a similar appointment for Provoke Auckland before the end of this calendar year” he adds.
