CEO change at Advania UK as Kneen steps down

Advania UK has shuffled its senior leadership team after its current CEO has stepped down from the business to pursue other opportunities.

Geoff Kneen’s decision to depart the firm has given James Hardy, formerly CCO of Advania UK and CEO at CCS Media, which was acquired by Advania last year, the chance to replace him.

Kneen has been instrumental in masterminding the growth strategy at Advania since the firm entered the UK market back in 2021, which included overseeing four major acquisitions – Content+Cloud, Azzure IT, CCS Media, and Servium – as the firm established itself as a significant managed services player.

“Leading Advania UK has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career,” said Kneen. “I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together and grateful to all the colleagues, clients and partners who have been part of the journey. Now it feels like the right moment to create more space for family, travel and personal goals, while leaving the business in excellent hands with James and the team.”

Hardy’s CV includes 18 years at CCS Media and most recently a spell as group chief commercial officer at Advania UK, giving him the experience and market knowledge needed to take on the CEO position.

“We have all the ingredients for further success: talented people who know our clients inside and out, and the freedom to act quickly in their best interests. These strengths are among the key attributes that make us different, with our teams making decisions locally, staying close to clients and delivering real value,” he said.

The decision by Kneen to leave the business is being framed as the end of the chapter that included those four acquisitions, the establishment of the business and an opportunity to start the strategy of growing the mid-market customer base.

“The UK mid-market is hugely underserved, and no one else is supporting clients with all their IT needs like Advania does, helping them to access affordable, enterprise-grade technology solutions and adapt to constant change. That combination of deep client relationships, empowered local teams and comprehensive support is the Advania advantage,” Hardy added.

Hege Støre, CEO of Advania Group, said that the CEO change came at an opportune moment for the business and marked the end of one period and the start of another.

“This is the right moment for Advania UK to take the next step. We have successfully brought together four companies into one unified business, and now we have all the capabilities and vendor relationships needed to manage clients’ entire IT spend. That’s powerful for mid-market companies who need integrated technology solutions to stay competitive and future ready. All the pieces are in place, now we execute,” he said.

He extended his thanks to Kneen and acknowledged the role he had played in establishing the UK business: “I want to thank Geoff for his leadership, energy and friendship over the past few years. He leaves behind not just impressive results, but also a culture and a team that genuinely care about doing right by our customers. We wish him the very best in the adventures that await him.”