Nexus GB, the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Datakey Electronics, has added Michael Barrett to its senior management team. Michael joins as operations director and his responsibilities will include increasing revenue across industry sectors by implementing improved marketing strategies as well as streamlining the company’s administrative structure.

Michael’s CV features time at B&Q and AstraZeneca as well as Syngenta, the company that resulted from Novartis and AstraZeneca merging their agribusinesses. After leaving Syngenta, Michael worked at B&Q corporate for four and a half years, running the Surplus Store project, which was piloted in Rochdale. He was also a key member of the management team running the major warehouse revamp programme which has seen over 25 stores already rejuvenated with the rest of the estate to follow.

“While at AstraZeneca and later Syngenta, I was heavily involved in the merger processes,” explained Michael. “Later I took on some more traditional financial roles centred on management reporting, which is no small task when the organisation in question has a company in almost every country in the world! This emphasis on analysis and efficiency was later continued at B&Q and is something I propose to apply in my new role.”

Nexus GB’s focus is on growing its already strong customer base by adding business in a range of new markets, which Michael believes hold a great deal of potential. “My feeling is that Datakey Electronics provides a very strong product base, is extremely well led and invests heavily in research and development. As a result, Nexus is in a good position to take advantage of that strength in the UK.”

In late 2007, Michael spent two weeks at Datakey Electronics, visiting customers, training and attending the Embedded System conference in Boston. “My US trip really drove home that this is a long standing technology that is likely to still be current and relevant to customers in twenty years time.”

Michael is a keen runner, having completed the London Marathon in 2004 and 2005. He also enjoys spending time in the countryside, near his house in Broughton, Hampshire.