Schneider Electric reclaims Astrid Groves to lead channel

Astrid Groves (Schneider Electric)

Schneider Electric has reclaimed a familiar face to replace its recently departed channel chief for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific in the form of Astrid Groves. 

Having previously worked at Schneider in London between 2005 and 2010, Groves will now take on the title of general manager of IT and edge, which will entail leading the vendor's channel ecosystem. 

During the intervening 10 years, Groves has worked at CertaOne, Dicker Data and Vocus, all in channel and sales-facing roles. 

“I’m thrilled to join the Schneider team and am ready to take our IT business to the next level," she said. "My immediate priority is to take a fresh and holistic view of what has worked with our customers and partners, and what could be improved. Then I will lead the team to ensure our delivery will be better aligned with their needs. 

“My long-term ambition is to build a business ecosystem that can remove tech barriers for both individuals and the wider community, helping customers imagine the impossible. To achieve that, we will work to empower our IT partners through strategic alliance and collaboration.” 

Joe Craparotta, VP of IT Business at Schneider Electric, said the company was delighted to welcome Astrid back to "the Schneider family".  

"Astrid’s recent experiences indicate that she’s a real innovator and challenger in the IT industry, who understands what businesses need today from a technology vendor," he added. "She is also an ambassador for distribution and channel which is at the core of our DNA and business models." 

Her appointment comes two months after her predecessor Joseph Vijay exited the business following three years of channel leadership. 

His departure came as the vendor embarked on a company-wide reorganisation, which saw the creation of three new business units: edge, small business and operational technology.