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Western Digital appoints SA country manager


Johannesburg, 16 Jan 2012

Western Digital (WD) has appointed Anamika Budree to the position of country manager for SA.

The company says Budree will create a vendor presence in the country for WD, which will in turn enable greater penetration into the local market.

Having a local presence in the country is important, both for growth and continued competitiveness; and as part of my new role, I will be driving business and creating increased brand awareness with regular and sustained marketing activities,” says Budree.

During the course of 2011, WD gained ground in the retail market in SA, signing an agreement with Massmart to stock branded WD products across its stores throughout the country. The vendor also has three distributors with different markets.

Part of Budree's role will be to grow relationships with these distributors, developing new business through the existing channels to market.

“Apart from growing our existing business, we also want to tap into new markets with our extensive product range, including secure drives, which are ideal for banking, and financial services and backup solutions that fit the government market well. We have also identified a lot of opportunity in the 'white box' market, and will be focusing on incorporating WD drives into computers built in SA for distribution,” Budree says.

Responsibilities of the new role include business relationship management with the distributors; growing the retail business, both through franchise and independent retailers; and providing the training, marketing and ongoing awareness initiatives to grow WD's brand presence and equity within SA.

According to WD, Budree brings a wealth of skill and experience to the country manager position. She has been involved in the technology field for almost a decade, having worked for two large distributors over the years, it says.

“I have been lucky to have had the opportunity to gain experience in such a wide range of areas within distribution, which has helped me to achieve a high level of understanding of the local market across various areas,” she concludes.

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