RM Education hires industry expert and ex-Microsoft Director, Chris Rothwell
RM, a leading supplier of technology and resources to the education sector, has appointed technology and education industry leader, Chris Rothwell, as its Group Strategy and Customer Director. The creation of this new executive role is one of the key component parts that RM believes will enable its clear path to long-term sustainable growth to benefit all stakeholders, especially its education customers.
Chris will play a crucial role in ensuring RM remains at the forefront of the industry, as the company enhances its go-to-market approach and customer propositions in light of a more competitive landscape and a market that is changing at an accelerating rate.
Chris has played an active role in the technology industry for almost 20 years, and prior to joining RM, was Director of Education for multinational technology company, Microsoft. Here, he was responsible for supporting over 30,000 of Microsoft’s Education customers in the UK, across schools, colleges, universities, museums and libraries. He is a school governor, a trustee of an edtech charity, and as a parent of two young children has a vested interest in helping the industry improve educational outcomes for all.
At Microsoft, Chris managed the UK education industry team, working to deliver on the vision of empowering every student and educator to achieve more by helping them make the most of the technology available to improve learning outcomes. This included helping customers use this technology to transform their organisation, enable richer teaching and learning and supporting the development of 21st Century skills for students and staff. Chris brings knowledge and experience of working with customers and partners across every phase of Education.
During his time at Microsoft, he worked across product, channel, marketing and sales. His first role in education was managing the “Live@edu”; product in the UK, where he partnered with RM as part of the early shift towards Cloud services in the sector.
The new role with RM will initially focus on leveraging the work already being undertaken by the business divisions whilst collaborating more effectively in demonstrating the value that an RM customer gets from being part of the broader company. This will seek to differentiate the brand on the back of RM’s unique breadth of expertise and successful customer reach and pedigree.
Neil Martin, CEO, RM plc, said:
“This is an exciting time for RM and Chris’s wealth of knowledge in education and technology will be critical in our ongoing development and growth. It is an important appointment for us and I am thrilled that Chris has chosen RM at a hugely important time for the sector. He will play a leading role in our vison of improving educational outcomes across the breadth of markets in which we operate including innovative curriculum resources, digital assessment and the use of technology to improve educational environments.
“Having Chris on the executive team will enable us to ensure the customer is always in the room and bring an increased focus on our markets and customers, ensuring that the changing needs of learners, teachers and education institutions are always uppermost in the company’s strategy”.
Chris Rothwell, Strategy and Customer Director, RM, said:
“There is no doubt that the potential for technology in education is not yet being realised for everyone, even with the incredible progress and adoption over the last two years – something I saw first-hand whilst at Microsoft. As I think about RM’s heritage and expertise, the opportunity to help customers make progress on their digital journey is a hugely exciting one. From curriculum resources to classroom technology and the school office to assessment, every school can benefit from the right expertise to make sure technology is helping them and their pupils achieve. I look forward to driving this mission so that schools reach their full potential”.
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