ePlus CEO Phil Norton Steps Down After 23 Years, To Be Replaced by COO Mark Marron

Phil Norton has stepped down after 23 years as the CEO of solution provider ePlus Inc. He will be succeeded by longtime Chief Operating Officer Mark Marron, who was appointed to the CEO position by ePlus’ board of directors, effective Aug. 1. That same day, Norton will step into the newly created position of executive chairman.

Marron has worked at ePlus for 11 years, joining the company as senior vice president of sales, and was promoted to COO in 2010.

’Since he joined ePlus in 2005, Mark has been a key driver of our success," Norton said in a statement "He has prevailed over the challenges we have confronted and brought fresh ideas and strategies to the table.’

[Related: ePlus Boosts Global Security Capabilities With Deal For IGX]

ePlus did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment about the reasons for the executive changes.

Norton joined ePlus as CEO in 1993, and has led the company through its growth from $42.8 million of annual revenue in 1996, when the company went public, to $1.2 billion in 2016. ePlus is No. 34 on the CRN Solution Provider 500. He will continue with the company as executive chairman, where he will consult around strategy, acquisitions and transactions within the financing segment, as well as engaging with clients.

Before working at ePlus, Marron served as senior vice president of worldwide sales at NetIQ, and was general manager of worldwide channel sales for Computer Associates International, Inc.

’It is an honor and privilege to be appointed CEO and president of ePlus," Marron said in a statement. "After more than 10 years at ePlus, I believe we are well positioned for future success and I am excited about the opportunities that are ahead.’

Recently, Norton and Marron have pushed the company towards a stronger focus in security, hyper-converged infrastructure, mobility and cloud solutions for clients, most notably when ePlus acquired data system and security company IGX in December of 2015.

IGX, which at the time of its acquisition was reporting $51 million in annual sales, boosted ePlus’ security and infrastructure capabilities and expanded ePlus’ territory globally.