Gary Gradwell

A specialist in e-commerce, Microsoft CRM, master data management (MDM), business intelligence (BI), and solutions architecture, Gary Gradwell entered the technology industry in 2001 and is currently the Chief Digital Officer at Tarsus Distribution. 

Gary began his 22-year career in the IT distribution industry at Wavestone, a small components company. This is where he discovered his passion for distribution, gaining experience in supply chain, sales, finance, customer service and operational efficiency. He also completed multiple micro-courses and diplomas in IT, communication, system engineering and more.  

In 2009 Gary joined Channelware, a joint venture between ACT (Advanced Channel Technologies) and Tarsus Technologies (now Tarsus Distribution) under the umbrella of MB Technologies. Implementing new marketing and go-to-market technologies and understanding the importance of modernisation, Gary helped transform a brick-and-mortar organisation into an efficient, centralised organisation that could serve its B2B partner base online.  

He then took this marketing strategy and e-commerce experience to sister company Tarsus Distribution in 2014 as part of the marketing team, implementing applications and software to aid in the modernisation and automation of marketing activities. The distribution industry was undergoing enormous changes – business models were evolving rapidly and the company had to keep up. 

Gary's role in Tarsus Distribution evolved from marketing applications and strategy into a more expansive portfolio of applications used to drive operational efficiencies, including integration and implementation of products like Microsoft CRM, warehouse management applications like Manhattan Scale, overseeing access to information using business intelligence tools and reporting to e-commerce-driven applications, and strategies to help in the digital transformation of the organisation. 

To radically improve the service provided to partners, Gary and his team wanted to create a frictionless partner-distributor relationship. That was how the Tarsus Distribution Portal (TDP) was born. It has since evolved into a quintessential B2B portal that has improved the company's brand recognition, reduced marketing costs, lowered partner acquisition costs and boosted order value and volume. TDP has automated sales and business processes through IT, application design, marketing and digital dexterity. 

He was appointed General Manager of Digital and Ecommerce in 2021, a role that has become about building innovative departments that deliver high-performance results. His teams are passionate about the products they create and the people they serve. 

Gary likes the concept of microlearning, where exciting topics can be researched and understood in very little time. At home, Gary enjoys DIY and the simpler things in life. Working with his hands, he says, is a mechanical process that is refreshingly different from the digital world. He is a fan of electronic music production and editing, the latest technology gadgets, and motorsport. He enjoys surrounding himself with talented people who like to share their knowledge and expertise in topics that appeal to him.