Rackspace appoints Martin Blackburn to lead Rackspace EMEA business
Rackspace, the technology services company, has appointed Martin Blackburn as the Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, to continue the company’s growth plans in the region.
As EMEA MD, Martin will be responsible for the company’s strategy and developments across the region which currently includes operations in the UK, Northern Europe, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Middle East.
Martin is an accomplished technology leader with more than 35 years’ experience having held positions at Marconi, Logica, HP, EDS and IBM. Throughout his career he has led organisations to achieve significant performance with a focus on customer success, execution and innovation. Most recently, he was Executive Chair for a number of companies within Marlin Equity Partners. Before Marlin, he held positions at the global technology business for IBM in Europe as General Manager, Chief Operating Officer for Europe, General Manager for Benelux and UK & Ireland where he was responsible for outsourcing, consulting, cloud and security services.
He replaces Darren Norfolk, who departs the business after 13 years. During Darren’s tenure, he built a customer success track record and ambitious growth plans for the region. This will be accelerated under Martin’s goals for the business which include further expansion across new markets.
Kevin Jones, CEO at Rackspace said, “We are starting 2020 with exciting plans and Martin brings a wealth of leadership experience and technology expertise which will accelerate our growth. Our EMEA business is a critical part of our future and I’m confident that the organisation will continue to thrive.
“I would like to thank Darren for his incredibly hard work in ensuring Martin is handed a high-performing business that accelerates the value our customers derive from the cloud and which continues to be ranked as a Great Place to Work.”
Martin Blackburn added: “Rackspace’s world-class expertise, market leadership and fantastic culture are admirable and is kudos to the team of passionate experts whom I’m excited to now be working with.
“The company is known for its unparalleled customer experience and supporting customers during every phase of their transformation with cloud specialisation and continuous modernisation, working flexibly and with agility. We have solid foundations to catapult our growth in 2020 and beyond.”
ENDS
About Rackspace
At Rackspace, we accelerate the value of the cloud during every phase of digital transformation. By managing apps, data, security and multiple clouds, we are the best choice to help customers get to the cloud, innovate with new technologies and maximize their IT investments. As a recognised Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader, we are uniquely positioned to close the gap between the complex reality of today and the promise of tomorrow. Passionate about customer success, we provide unbiased expertise, based on proven results, across all the leading technologies. And across every interaction worldwide, we deliver Fanatical Experience™. Rackspace has been honored by Fortune, Forbes, Glassdoor and others as one of the best places to work. Learn more at www.rackspace.com/en-gb.
