5 things we learned from TD SYNNEX's Vendor Summit 2024

Net zero in scopes one and two in sight, the gender pay gap, and 2024 goals. Here’s what CRN learned from the global $80bn distribution giant this week

TD SYNNEX will see a resurgence in endpoint solutions this year which will drive market share, CRN heard at its vendor-focused event this week.

The global $80bn distributor had a lot to shout about in the way of DEI and sustainability in front of its vendors at 30 Euston Square, London.

While speaking to CRN UK&I MD David Watts lifted the lid on his goal for 2024, what message he wanted vendors to take away, and how the distributor will drive growth this year.

Here are five things we learned attending TD SYNNEX's Vendor Summit 2024.

Resurgence in endpoint solutions will drive market share

The PC market had a tough year in 2023, but Watts believes this year TD SYNNEX will see new life and increase its market share.

"We will grow organically this year. We're very market share-oriented. This year we will gain market share. I'm absolutely sure we will," he told CRN.

"I think some of that will come from a resurgence of the endpoint solutions business.

"The vast majority of that is PCs, which had a very tough market last year.

"We identified really early on areas that we want to invest in because we knew our channel communities would need support, and they are all high-growth areas in themselves - cloud, IoT, data analytics, security, and AI."

Net zero in scopes 1 and 2 in sight

Opening the event, Watts proudly proclaimed: "We will be net zero in scopes 1 and 2 after we replace one pesky boiler system in our warehouse."

He added the distributor is awaiting approval from the Science Based Targets initiative on its net zero goals, and that this year it will be using 100 per cent renewable energy across all four of its sites.

Sitting down with CRN post-event, Watts opened up about the group's scope 3 progress.

"From our own circumstance, which is our own scopes 1, 2 and what we can impact in 3, I think we're pretty much done as much as we can have scopes 1 and 2," he said.

"Scope 3 we need to work on, which is a lot around supply chain, which we're working on now with our manufacturers and couriers.

"That's hard work, because often you have to deal with the manufacturer, the courier, us and our customer to line that all up."

DEI and the gender pay gap

"In the case of DEI," Watts said on stage, TD SYNNEX has "fundamentally changed" its HR policies and hiring practices.

"And why? We do it because we believe it's right. It also makes us a much better partner for you and our customers.

"We've got resource groups advocating for neurodiversity, women in leadership and gender balance, LGBTQ+, culture and religious difference groups. They've been thriving.

"We've been aggressively challenging our gender pay gap.

"The percentage of women that we have in our top two pay quartiles is higher than our top ten vendors and our top ten customers.

"To drive that level of difference we've spent one third to one half of our time as a board in the last two years just on those subjects."

2024 goal

Watts tells CRN that one goal he wants to achieve in 2024 centres on developing customers.

"What that means is, for example, if you're a traditional VAR, but you want to be a bit of a CSP, how do you do it? Who'd you partner with?

"If you want to sell more security or set up security practice, how do you achieve that?

"We run programmes and consultancies to support all of that. The majority of that used to be cloud. We still do a lot of work around cloud, security is still there and AI will be the one this year.

"So if we get to the end of the year, and we look back and say, AI might not be a big part of anyone's top line numbers, but in terms of their capability and their readiness, they know where they're going because of how they worked with us, I'd feel good about that."

Message to vendors

Speaking on one thing he wants his vendors to take away from the event, Watts said: "The distribution landscape in the UK is really strong, and partners are really well supported.

"I've no doubt though, that we have a breadth and depth of offering that no other distributor has technically, or breadth of vendor partners.

"Plus sustainability, we work with loads of companies closely on DEI and no one else is advocating in that way for channel partners. And that's what we are asking the vendor partner community to invest in more with us."