David Tulip bids farewell to Network Group after six years as MD

“It’s a great time to be an MSP, a great time to be a vendor in MSP land,” Tulip tells CRN about bittersweet goodbye

After more than a decade shaping one of the UK IT channel’s most tight-knit communities, David Tulip is stepping down as managing director of Network Group to take on a new challenge at Egnyte.

Tulip, who has led the 31-year-old membership organisation since 2018, will be leaving next week to become director, EMEA MSP at Egnyte, where he will focus on expanding the vendor’s MSP channel across the UK, Ireland, and beyond.

“It’s a great time to be an MSP, a great time to be a vendor in MSP land,” Tulip tells CRN.

“And I’ll miss Network Group. I just decided, personally, that it was time for a change.”

Tulip’s career in the IT channel stretches back to 1995, when he joined Newman Business Solutions as an IT solutions sales specialist.

For over 14 years, he helped grow the print copy specialist into a fully-fledged MSP, scaling it to £1.5m in revenue and a team of 12.

His first encounter with Network Group came in 2005, when he was running the IT arm of Newman.

At the time, the group’s core mission was securing better pricing and account management for smaller IT businesses—many of whom were struggling to get traction with vendors.

“It started with a lightbulb moment in 1994: if smaller IT businesses band together, they can get better vendor terms,” Tulip explains.

“Back then, it was all about the commercial. But the real value was always the community, the sharing, and the conversations in the room.”

At Newman and subsequent businesses, Tulip had been part of Network Group’s membership, but he officially joined it as group MSP specialist in 2014.

His involvement deepened in 2018, when he was first elected chair before stepping up to managing director later that year.

During his tenure, Tulip helped grow Network Group’s membership and deepen existing relationships.

Under his leadership, the group expanded its vendor partnerships and strengthened its MSP membership base.

Tulip’s departure was not planned, but he leaves the group in safe hands:

"I know I’m leaving it in a strong place. I’ve taken it as far as I can, and now it’s time for someone else to take it to the next level."

That someone, in all but name, will be NG’s current general manager, Simon West.

The former head of IT at The Clarison Group joined the community in October 2024 and will expand his responsibilities following Tulip’s departure, as the group seeks to operationalise after a period of rapid growth.

The Network Group executive board will also take on oversight and governance while the long-term leadership plan falls into place.

A new challenge at Egnyte

At Egnyte, Tulip will leverage his extensive channel network to help the data security and collaboration vendor scale its MSP partnerships.

"My skill is connecting, linking, and being human," Tulip says.

"Egnyte already has an MSP channel, but they want to supercharge it. I’ll be working with MSPs across EMEA, helping to open doors and raise their profile in the market."

He joins a 30-person UK team and a nascent channel organisation, with Egnyte’s global headcount sitting at around 1,200.

While his focus will primarily be on UK MSPs, his role extends to identifying broader EMEA growth opportunities.

Though he admits leaving Network Group is an emotional transition, Tulip is optimistic about the move:

"It’s a bit of ‘the king is dead, long live the king or queen’ moment. Network Group is ready for the next chapter—and so am I."