A number of channel players have been given a King’s Award for Enterprise to denote their position as innovators and leaders in international trade.
Among those gaining the honour is QB Software, which has been recognised for its efforts in international trade. IT asset disposal (ITAD) specialists KOcycle and Sumillion have been recognised for their efforts in sustainability.
The channel is always seeking means to differentiate from the competition, and the King’s Award for Enterprise provides these firms with something to talk to partners and customers about.
Dave Stevinson, CEO of QBS, said the business had been expanding its position as a global software specialist, and the award was a result of those efforts.
“It is an incredible accolade for QBS to receive such formal recognition from the King. This is testament to our global workforce delivering software to the world’s largest companies,” he said.
QBS works with more than 12,500 software vendors and has built a platform that connects those with 6,000 resellers across EMEA.
Over at KOcycle, the award for sustainability will underline the lifecycle and recycling specialist’s position as a solid channel partner.
“This award is recognition of the work the team has put in over the past few years, but it’s also a signal to our partners. Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’. It’s becoming a core part of how customers evaluate technology decisions, and partners have a real opportunity to lead that conversation,” said Oli Mason, founder and managing director at KOcycle.
The role of lifecycle management has increased in the channel, with more customers looking for partners that can provide a cradle-to-grave service.
Mike McLellan, managing director at KOcycle, said it would emphasise the value of the award to partners to encourage them to opt for a business that has gained high public recognition.
In the channel, trust and accountability are everything. We hope this award reinforces to partners and their customers that they are working with an organisation held to the highest standards
Mike McLellan, KOcycle
“In the channel, trust and accountability are everything. We hope this award reinforces to partners and their customers that they are working with an organisation held to the highest standards. It also reflects the growing importance of IT lifecycle services as part of a broader solution – supporting not just sustainability, but resilience and cost efficiency,” he said.
Sumillion has also proudly shared its award, underlining the strong position it took on sustainability.
Posting on social media, David Manners, chief financial officer at Sumillion, stated: “An incredibly proud day for all of us at Sumillion. What makes this especially meaningful is that sustainability has never been a side initiative or marketing exercise for us; it has been built into the heart of how we operate, how we procure technology for our customers and how we try to create positive impact through business.”
Meanwhile, QBS has continued to bolster its vendor line-up with the addition of security player Huntress, giving the distributor the rights to sell its products across EMEA.
The vendor has appointed QBS, along with Ingram Micro, VertoSoft and Liquid PC, to extend its channel reach as it looks to increase its global customer base.
Tom Corrigan, chief revenue officer at QBS, said there was a clear market opportunity to take the vendor's data protection offering to its partners.
“Huntress has built a strong reputation for protecting the businesses that power our daily lives and are systemic to our economic stability. Partnering with such a company of consequence to stop threats before they impact these businesses across EMEA is extremely rewarding. Through this partnership, we will equip our channel with an Agentic Security Platform and 24/7 agentic AI-powered SOC that is both highly effective and accessible to the mid-market,” he said.
Tuan Nguyen, vice-president of channels and alliances at Huntress, said the addition of four new distributors would allow it to reach more partners.
