Lawson Appoints Chris Long as Director of Professional Services in ANZ
SYDNEY, Australia (June 21, 2007) – Lawson Software, a global provider of enterprise software applications, today announced the appointment of Chris Long as its new director of professional services in ANZ. Long will focus on building alliances and enhancing Lawson’s solution and services delivery model across the region.
Long has more than 22 years of global ERP consulting experience and a proven track record of delivering professional services for enterprise organisations including Unisys, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards – and working on projects with consulting firms such as Accenture.
Long cites Lawson’s potential as a global software provider following the company’s merger with the former Intentia International AB in 2006 as a key reason for joining the company.
“As a result of the combination, Lawson offers a compelling alternative solution for mid-market customers, outside the two major giants in the industry, said Long. “The fact that it has such a unique customer- and industry-focused solution also puts it in a strong position to take leadership of its chosen target markets – in particular apparel and food & beverage.
Lawson offers two key product lines. The Lawson M3 suite provides enterprise management solutions for customers in manufacturing in the food and beverage and fashion industries as well as other organizations in manufacturing, distribution and asset-intensive sectors. The Lawson S3 product line is designed to meet the unique needs of service sector organizations, including healthcare, retail and government.
“One of things that appealed to me about joining Lawson was the company’s strategy in Australia & New Zealand to really drill into, and focus on, the needs of the ‘micro-vertical’ segments within those markets – such as plumbing within distribution, or fisheries within food and beverage. This, along with the industry-specific products that Lawson continues to introduce, can foster growth opportunities in the region. My aim is to expand the Lawson services ecosystem to meet the increasing customer service demands those opportunities will create. It will be about generating more partner relationships and more field expertise to deliver even more efficient, value-add solutions for clients, said Long.
“A key milestone for Lawson, post-merger, was the launch of its solution and service centre in Manila, Philippines, Long added. “Combined with Lawson’s service centre in Sweden, the ANZ team now has access to an increasingly vast set of resources to support project implementations. From my experience in this industry, I have witnessed the dramatic increase in quality and cost-effectiveness that comes with a fully integrated global delivery model – incorporating on site and other global resources. One of my goals will be to ensure our ANZ customers are taking full advantage of the pool of highly skilled consultants Lawson offers through this model.
Prior to joining Lawson, Long has held a number of senior executive positions with major enterprise vendors. Recently he was managing director for software consulting business Kapitis. Previously, Long held the role of strategic alliances director for Japan & Asia Pacific at PeopleSoft, where he worked extensively with Accenture, BearingPoint, Capgemini, Deloitte and Unisys to drive Global System Integrator campaigns.
His career has also included senior sales and consulting roles with InterWorld, Epicor and Accenture. Long is a science and economics graduate of the Australian National University, Canberra.
Source: Lawson
