Since the summer of 2024, Computacenter, a United Kingdom-headquartered IT service provider founded more than 40 years ago, has brought on four notable leaders as it dives into the state’s public-sector technology market:
- Dan Morris, account executive: Morris started at Computacenter in September after serving as senior client director for the public sector at AHEAD for eight years. Morris’ prior experience includes technology and public-sector roles with EMC, Verizon and Kovarus.
- Gurj Phagura, principal consultant: Phagura joined the company in March after 10 years at the California Department of Public Health; his final role there was chief of the Systems Architecture Services Section.
- Scott MacDonald, field chief technology officer: With experience in California state government going back to 2007, MacDonald served as the state’s deputy chief technology officer within the Department of Technology before joining Computacenter in December.
- Mike McAninch, service specialist: McAninch began at Computacenter in July 2024 after serving as service delivery principal for Veteran Enhanced Technology Services for three years. His work experience goes back to 1999 and includes a decade with EMC.
“Computacenter has a vast pool of technical engineers across North America and globally,” McAninch wrote in an email to Industry Insider — California. “However we are committed to responding to California's dynamic technology requirements and are currently in the process of adding skilled professionals from within the region to our team to further support these needs.”
The company has so far not announced any government customers; however, the State Contract and Procurement Registration System shows how Computacenter has already established itself in the state government market, appearing in recent purchases from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Department of Industrial Relations, California Highway Patrol and many others.
Though Computacenter is just getting started in the California gov tech market, Morris pointed to the company’s large global footprint as an asset in the state.
“We have over 10,000 consultants and engineers globally to leverage into the state,” Morris said. “Our delivery capabilities include technical sourcing of systems, professional services and managed services. As a recent example, we built one of the largest AI factories in North America with over 300 experts ranging from low voltage engineers to AI solution architects.”
The company’s approach, said MacDonald, will be to build long-term relationships within the state — including state, local and education entities — and become a “trusted adviser and partner in their digital transformation journey.”
"State government faces critical challenges in managing budgets, modernizing aging systems, securing against evolving cyber threats and attracting skilled IT talent,” MacDonald said. “However, there's substantial potential to improve service delivery through data analytics and AI, streamline operations via automation and create more accessible citizen-facing digital platforms."
