HONG KONG, August 24, 2006 – Lenovo Group today announced a new Lenovo Services business unit, uniting all aspects of customer service globally under the leadership of a new senior executive, Christopher J. Askew.
“Customer satisfaction is a key goal for Lenovo, and this new Lenovo Services unit deepens our commitment to delighting customers with every services engagement,” said William J. Amelio, Lenovo’s chief executive officer. “Services are increasingly important to all PC customers, and we intend to take our responsiveness and performance to industry-leading levels. While Lenovo already approaches best-of-breed in this respect, services leadership requires a strong, unified global organization to drive both the highest customer satisfaction and operational excellence.”
Christopher J. Askew, 44, has been appointed to lead the new organization as senior vice president, Lenovo Services, effective immediately. He will report directly to Mr. Amelio and will be based in Singapore.
“Chris is a high-energy executive with critical strategic, financial and operating skills. His track record includes proven results, consistently exceeding financial and operating targets in start-up, turnaround and high-growth environments,” Mr. Amelio added. “He brings to Lenovo global experience from the US, EMEA and AP, as well as in both direct- and channel-driven strategies.”
Most recently, Mr. Askew served as vice president, Dell Services, Asia-Pacific and Japan. Mr. Askew joined Dell in 1999, and was the senior executive responsible for all elements of Dell’s Asia-Pacific and Japan services business across 38 countries. His responsibilities included Services sales and marketing, Professional Services, Managed Services, Field Service delivery and logistics, and Technical Support. Under Mr. Askew’s leadership, Dell’s AP&J Services revenue grew substantially and the unit became a major profit contributor to the overall business.
Prior to joining Dell, Mr. Askew held senior positions with Compaq Computer and Tandem Computers. At Compaq, his positions included responsibility for all services business elements in the Western Region of the US, and also direction of customer services in Asia-Pacific and Japan. With Tandem, he worked for the Tandem Consulting Integration and Services unit in Asia, and also in the European division. Mr. Askew began his career at the Bank of England in various technical and operations management positions.
“Lenovo has enormous opportunities with services, not only to delight our customers, but also to grow our overall business. Chris will work to create a powerful Lenovo Services brand that differentiates Lenovo in the market via exceptional service delivery and value,” Mr. Amelio said.
About Lenovo Group Ltd. Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building the world’s most innovative personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure, and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. For more information, see www.lenovo.com .
Contacts: Hong Kong Angela Lee (852) 2516-4810 angelalee@lenovo.com
New York Carol Makovich(914) 701-2811 makovich@us.lenovo.com
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