Sara Wilkes has enjoyed a meteoric rise to her career. When she first started out as a receptionist at Computacenter in its Birmingham branch 19 years ago, Wilkes would never have dreamt that one day she would be in the hotseat, heading one of the Channel’s leading technology companies.
But it’s a journey that she successfully completed after being appointed CEO of Agilitas in November 2024. By her own admission, Wilkes had no career plan, but through sheer hard work and perseverance she made it to the top. That and adhering to her core values of integrity and honesty, always being authentic and not being afraid to let people know where she stands.
Whenever there was a job that needed doing, Wilkes said that she would always back herself to get it done. Her passion and drive to deliver, not taking no for an answer, have been key factors in achieving that.
“I built a bit of a reputation for being the go-to to get things done,” said Wilkes. “If something needed doing, I would step in and do it – no job was ever too big.”
Genuine appreciation
After cutting her teeth at Computacenter over a 10-year period, working in internal sales, project management and managed services, as well as a stint in international business in Barcelona, Wilkes moved on to SCC, fulfilling various service management and operations roles before becoming customer experience director.
Then, in January 2024, she was appointed COO at Agilitas, from where she transitioned to CEO in less than a year.
“I very much lead by example, supporting and empowering my team to create a plan to follow and make their own decisions,” said Wilkes. “I also set the highest expectations for both myself and my team, always looking to foster a collaborative culture and bring the best out of people.
“By getting people to buy into your vision and to understand what you want to achieve, you can bring them along with you. You also need to develop a culture where people are willing to embrace change and rise to the challenge of adversity.
“It’s also important to reward good performance, particularly if someone has done a job well or your team has been successful. I do that regularly by genuinely thanking people and showing my appreciation for their work.”
Team building
Wilkes may have only be in the role of CEO for a short time, but she has already built a strong team around her, including, most recently, the appointment of Gary Lomas as chief revenue officer. She expects to add to that in the coming months.
“It’s about having the right team in place that you implicitly trust to deliver for you,” said Wilkes. “But it’s not just the leadership – you need to have the right people working for you throughout the whole organisation.”
In the Channel, Wilkes said that it’s critical to forge strong partnerships with both vendors and end users. That means, she said, in Agilitas’ case, positioning it as the partner of choice by focusing on areas where it can add most value, such as customer service and experience.
Differentiation is also key for Wilkes. To achieve that, she said it requires specialising in what you are good at, and adopting different practices and processes to stand out from the competition, as well as continuing to challenge people’s way of thinking.
The evolving channel
During her time in the Channel, Wilkes has seen some big changes. Chief among them, she said, has been the pace of technological change and the widespread availability of data, just in the last decade alone.
“Even in our area of IT expertise, we have seen a shift from general outsourcing of services to out-tasking specific requirements to different providers, driven by the evolution of the cloud,” said Wilkes. “Also, the transition to hybrid working has changed the whole cybersecurity landscape, with more people working in more locations on different devices than ever before.”
Two other fundamental shifts that Wilkes has witnessed have been the rise of diversity and inclusion and sustainability. Whereas previously neither would have ever been a consideration, she said that now they are front and centre of most business practices.
“Back in the day, neither topics were even talked about,” said Wilkes. “But we have come a long way since then, reaching a point where they are now both integral parts of any business.”
Insisting that she has no regrets, Wilkes said that she prefers to focus instead on lessons learnt. It’s an approach that has served her well throughout her career and one that she’ll be taking forward in her new role as CEO.
“My role now is to support the team to be the best they can in delivering for our partners,” said Wilkes. “These are exciting times for the company as we move forward over the next 12 months and I’m looking forward to being a big part of that success.”
This interview was included in our January 2025 print issue. You can read the magazine in full here.