01732 759725 32 Earlier this year, United Business Group and Paralogic announced it had consolidated its different businesses into one larger technology services organisation called FUTERA. CEO Lee Manning discusses how the restructure signals a new era for the channel FUTERA: A new era for the channel to become the UK’s first choice partner for technology services,” he said. Company culture Creating and maintaining a positive company culture is high on the agenda for FUTERA. Last year it appointed Natalie Otton as its People Director, a move that enabled the transition to employee ownership and improve an already great culture. Manning continued: “We’ve got really great people on our team who have always given their all, but even in just a few short months after becoming employee-owned, we’ve seen some really positive nuanced changes in our business – that’s a great thing and a trajectory we wish to continue. “Employee ownership means that all of us are completely invested in the outcome, whether that’s doing a fantastic job onsite, creating operational has never been easier, with a partner like FUTERA in their corner to support walk-in takeovers or ongoing contracts, knowing that we put the same emphasis on the customer experience as they do.” Employee ownership When Founder and Chairman Terry Woods decided to retire, Manning explained that rather than go down the traditional route of a management buyout, they decided to bring the company into employee ownership. “We are very proud that the business is now fully owned by its employees. One of the key things is that although FUTERA is a new brand and a fresh face in a mature market, we are actually a company with a near four-decadeslong heritage. And most importantly, we have an incredible team with a lot of experience, who are individually invested in delivering on our mission Mergers and acquisitions have been par for the course for FUTERA, it has completed a number of acquisitions over the years which have either been seamlessly integrated into the business or operated under different brands. However the restructure in February 2025 brings together the company’s IT, print and scan businesses with Paralogic, the UK’s only full service technology channel partner. All the companies existed under FUTERA ownership, but have now been merged under this new brand. Lee Manning said: “We’ve restructured the business to align with what a modern, technology-focussed company wants from their managed services provider. By consolidating our different businesses into one larger technology services organisation, we will deliver more value, a wider scope of services, and an even better customer experience. “We genuinely believe FUTERA offers the widest breadth of tech services in the country and this restructure and rebrand will form the basis of our growth for the next decade and beyond.” Innovation FUTERA has been developed to bring high quality tech services to both direct and channel customers. By leaning on decades of experience delivering services to clients across the UK, Manning explains why now was the right time to make this move. “Companies don’t want to be stuck with the same old traditional model of having to pay for support services on fixed 1/3/5 year contracts up front. In 2025 we should be able to offer more choice, which is why I’m really proud of our innovative per device per month model, meaning our channel customers can keep things supported as long as they need, flexing monthly if they wish to. It means winning new business COVER STORY Lee Manning FUTERA in Focus
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