Board of Directors
Nigel Steljes - Owner
Innovation is at the core of Steljes and reflect the entrepreneurial character of Nigel Steljes, the founder and chairman of the company which he started in 1987. Nigel's knowledge of the AV/IT industry has enabled him to identify innovative technologies and successfully bring them to market before everyone else. This vision and focus led to the company being the first to market in the UK for the LCD panel, LCD projector & 42” plasma monitor.
Click here to read more...Success with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard has achieved sales of over 350,000 boards into the UK. Nigel’s hands-on approach spearheaded the company's phenomenal success, with the company being acknowledged in the Sunday Times fast track 100 companies for maintaining 100% growth for eight years in a row. Since that time, he has played a key role in securing exclusive distribution agreements that ensures Steljes is acknowledged as the true Value Added Distributor of choice for the vendor and reseller communities.
Martin Large - Group Chief Executive
A former banker in the 1980s, working in leverage fund management, Martin became disillusioned by the consolidation and culture within the industry. At around the time that he was considering his options, his old school friend Nigel Steljes got in touch to ask him to join the management team of his venture of the same name. Martin joined Steljes as Financial Director in June 1996, became Managing Director in March 2003 and Group Chief Executive when the company evolved in July 2005.
Click here to read more...Under Martin’s leadership the one-time projector distribution company has built its reputation and now stands firmly at the forefront of ICT in the education sector. It’s increasing its influence and is developing and adapting products for other markets including the military, corporate and public sectors.
Since his appointment, Martin has grown SMART Technologies’ total UK market share to a staggering 58 percent, shipping over 180,000 whiteboards to customers nationwide.
Martin’s main aim for Steljes has always been to grow as a successful and well-respected company that really makes a difference. His favourite part of the job, apart from the people, is being part of something successful - that matters.
Martine Dodwell-Bennett - Sales and Marketing Director
Martine joined Steljes in May 2005 and has worked across Product Management, Training and Sales. Prior to joining the business, she held senior roles at RM within both Business Management and Service Delivery. Martine was promoted to Group Sales and Business Development Director in 2009 and is now the Group Sales and Marketing Director. She has been instrumental in improving how Steljes engages with its reseller channel and the way in which the company wins business.
Click here to read more...Martine holds an MBA from Kingston Business School and is married with 3 children. As a qualified business leader with an ability to translate theory into practice and motivate teams to excel, Martine has a proven track record in all key business areas including Sales, Marketing, Business Unit Management and Finance.
A truly flexible leader with business theory and commercial acumen alongside a pragmatic and common sense approach. An increasingly rare blend.
Nigel Peck - Technical and Customer Services Director
As Group Technical and Customer Services Director, Nigel Peck is responsible for one of the largest visual and information technology support centres in the UK for the channel, education, IT and corporate business. The Technical Services team helps customers maximise the efficiency of their technologies, and provides ongoing support and warranty services to resellers and end users. Nigel was previously Client Director from Acentic Ltd (formerly part of the Granada Group).
Click here to read more...Much of Nigel's career has been with the Granada Group. His career has transitioned from TV rental to computer hardware, software and infrastructure, and then to technology services as the market has moved. He has been responsible for providing a sophisticated portfolio of technology based products and services, through multiple subsidiaries including the US and across Europe, as a Divisional Director to the hotel and leisure sector.
All of this means he brings an awareness of the need to constantly change and evolve new product offerings in order to maintain profitability, the need to mentor his staff and refine their skills and to seek out and exploit new industry sectors. His ability to build strong business relationships extends across his own people and management, as well as customers at all levels.
Nigel has an impressive understanding of the ‘productisation’ of services, branding and market positioning and the need for customer service via agreed and formalised service level agreements. He has the operational skills to ensure the bottom line is maintained as the top line is grown, particularly as a business expands and changes.
Ian Goodhind - Commercial Director
Appointed Commercial Director in February 2011, Ian has held a number of board roles at Steljes including Finance Director and Group Product Marketing Director. With over ten years experience of working at Steljes, Ian has seen the business grow from being a small AV distributor to become the market-leading technology innovator it is today. As part of his remit, he is responsible for managing Steljes product portfolio and developing relationships with vendors.
Click here to read more...He is also be responsible for the development of Steljes’ business strategy outside of the UK.
Shelley Sugden - Finance Director
In her role as Finance Director Shelley is responsible for the finance, purchasing and supply chain functions for Steljes. She joined Steljes in 2008 as Head of Finance and was instrumental in setting up a partnership with Syscap to launch flexible leasing options under the brand name of Steljes Choices. Her strong leadership skills and business acumen led to her promotion to the Board of Steljes as Finance Director in 2011.
Click here to read more...Prior to working for Steljes, Shelley held a number of key leadership positions at J Sainsbury’s plc and Borders (UK) Ltd. She is a graduate of the University of Birmingham and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
