Newly appointed Agilitas IT Solutions CEO Sara Wilkes is acutely aware of her own catalytic role in driving transformative change as she targets a range of growth accelerators with a people-focused and no-nonsense leadership approach.
Although Wilkes is new to the top job she can hardly be described as being in the starting blocks having already kicked off a campaign to create positive change. Her major intervention as CEO (she was previously COO) will be to take personal responsibility for elevating the firm’s focus on people, strategic goals and leadership, and remove major inhibitors to future expansion like disjointed messaging across the business. In terms of the specifics of how Wilkes will make her mark, she explained that her unofficial motto is to ‘get sh*t done!’. “I believe in setting clear, actionable objectives and ensuring the team knows exactly what needs to be achieved,” she stated. “My focus is on driving results quickly and decisively.”
Wilkes’ first priority is to ensure Agilitas is geared up to manage change effectively through people, given how fast the IT landscape is evolving. “Having the right talent in key roles to drive innovation and support customers is key,” she commented. “By strengthening our teams with additional talent, providing the right tools and being agile we can stay responsive to customer needs and anticipate future challenges in the channel.”
Wilkes outlined a range of other priorities linked to the reputational impacts experienced by Agilitas in recent times. She says that overcoming these challenges highlights not only the company’s renewed focus on building trust, but also its resilience. “Building trust with customers is a key priority,” she added. “Our reputation in some service areas has been damaged in the past, largely because we weren’t as close to our customers as we should have been. Nor did we understand their evolving needs.
“Our focus now is to become a true extension of our customers’ teams, building strong partnerships with the right people and driving shared success. By integrating more of our people with relevant stakeholders we can collaborate more strategically and offer a broader range of value added services.”
Channel focus
Agilitas mainly works with MSPs and VARs, supporting their end user customers. It also works with distributors, vendors, telcos, SIs and other technology channel partners. Wilkes noted in particular that Agilitas has seen a significant rise in interest around warehouse outsourcing as MSPs and VARs look to streamline their operational costs. “For some of our channel partners we provide logistics support in regions where they don’t have resources; for others we’ve completed full warehouse outsourcing, helping them scale efficiently and reduce overheads,” explained Wilkes.
2024 was a reset year. We’re back on track in a strong position with a renewed focus and clear strategies
The channel-only services partner is perhaps best known for its break-fix hardware maintenance, professional engineering services and global warehouse and logistics capabilities. Newly introduced services include lifecycle management support, IT asset disposition (ITAD), staging and technical triage services. “This shift allows us to become an extension of our customers’ operations, driving deeper partnerships and long-term value,” commented Wilkes.
As a multi-vendor specialist Agilitas supports clients worldwide, connecting the broader supply chain elements through a single touchpoint. “This provides the flexibility for customers to complement their own in-house capabilities with our value added services, helping them increase revenue through annuity and project-based services,” added Wilkes.
Challenging year
She conceded that 2023 was a challenging year for the business, and noted that the company had experienced significant change, both in terms of team transitions and the completion of several long-term contracts as legacy equipment was decommissioned. “However, 2024 was a reset year and we’re back on track in a strong position with a renewed focus and clear strategies,” she reaffirmed. “The service challenges we faced are firmly behind us. We achieved a 99 per cent SLA in November last year.
“That said, we understand the importance of reintroducing ourselves to customers who’ve experienced past issues, offering reassurance and clearly demonstrating the significant improvements we’ve made. Our new Voice of the Customer programme is one of the changes that we’ll be launching this year to drive service excellence and a collaborative approach across the supply chain.”
Agilitas also aims to become more data-driven and proactive in its approach. “By leveraging data we can gain valuable insights that not only improve our internal processes but also enable us to provide more informed recommendations to our partners and customers,” noted Wilkes. “This will allow us to better anticipate their needs and challenges, ultimately enhancing the value we deliver.”
Wilkes says her prior experience working in the MSP and VAR space has given here a practical understanding of the challenges these organisations face. And having worked for nearly 20 years in the channel she knows what it takes to drive business transformations. “This perspective is crucial in shaping how we tailor our services,” she added. “It’s not just about providing solutions, it’s also about truly understanding what makes businesses tick and aligning our services with those goals.”
However, Wilkes didn’t plan on pursuing a career in IT. In 2006 she wanted to run her own nightclub but with a toddler and a mortgage to pay that wasn’t a viable career choice at the time. So she took a receptionist job at Computacenter in January that year and by October was a Project Co-ordinator for its managed services customers.
“I worked at Computacenter in various roles for eight years,” she added. “It gave me international experience with two years working in Spain. I then decided to move back to the UK and began working at SCC with roles in service and more recently customer experience. I also chaired the diversity and inclusion board at SCC, creating employee led working groups to bring greater representation across the business.”
Another key area close to Wilkes’ heart (and a major priority for Agilitas) is sustainability. She says it’s at the core of everything Agilitas does and noted that the company now has the data it needs to quantify its efforts. “This allows us to translate sustainability into tangible benefits for customers, particularly in helping them with their Scope 3 calculations using real metrics,” she explained. “After years of discussions around sustainability I believe 2025 could be the year where the real change agents in the industry will showcase what’s possible and set a new standard for others to follow. The potential for meaningful impact is huge and I’m eager to see how we can contribute to that transformation.”
Wilkes on what true leadership really means...
Today’s leadership priorities are all about alignment, agility and delivering value to customers. It’s crucial to stay ahead of the curve whether through innovation, service excellence or strong partnerships. Our senior leadership team prioritises alignment and collaboration. Every quarter we take a day or two to step away from the office and work on strategy together, usually on a farm in the New Forest. The energy, focus and drive that comes from these sessions is powerful.
It’s also essential to foster an environment where cognitive diversity is embraced, where different perspectives and experiences can drive better decision making and innovation. By bringing together diverse minds and empowering your team to contribute their unique ideas, you not only strengthen your leadership but also create a foundation for sustained success. True leadership is about inspiring others, aligning them with a common purpose and helping them reach their fullest potential.