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Help Desk Institute Announces Akamai's Phil Verghis as HDI's New Strategic Advisory Board Chairperson
Colorado Springs, Colo. - April 4 , 2003 -- Help Desk Institute (HDI), the world's largest membership association for service and support professionals, today announced the appointment of industry luminary Phil Verghis to the position of chairperson of the HDI Strategic Advisory Board for a one-year term. Char LaBounty, retiring chairperson, made the announcement during her keynote address at the HDI Annual Conference and Expo held recently in Las Vegas.
Currently vice president of Infrastructure and Support for Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), a leading provider of services that enable the world's leading enterprises to extend and control their e-business infrastructure, Verghis is recognized as a visionary in the customer support market.
"I am very pleased to announce Phil as the next chairperson of this board," said LaBounty. "He is a highly-respected figure in the service and support industry. His leadership and expertise, including the development of a world-class customer care organization at Akamai, are sure to positively guide and inspire HDI members in pursuing the vision we have created."
Ron Muns, founder and CEO of HDI, added, "Phil's extensive experience in the industry will bring tremendous insight to HDI's prestigious Strategic Advisory Board."
Verghis' contributions to the service and support industry are significant, and he is a frequent speaker on industry-related topics. Ten years ago, he created the Help Desk FAQ online at a time when most people had not used the Internet. Over half a million visitors later, the FAQ remains a popular resource, a project that Verghis still maintains and updates monthly on a volunteer basis. The Help Desk FAQ can be accessed at www.philverghis.com/helpdesk.html
From his roots in customer support, Verghis is now a senior executive with Akamai, which operates the world's largest globally distributed computing platform.
"I'm honored to have the opportunity to work with such an impressive group. I look forward to working with HDI's strategic advisory board to make informed recommendations on industry trends and directions so that HDI's members and the industry are better prepared to meet tomorrow's challenges," said Verghis.
HDI's strategic advisory board's membership comprises fourteen leading industry luminaries, support industry executives, vendor CEOs, international representatives, and members of the media and analyst community. HDI's strategic advisory board includes Ron Muns, founder and CEO, HDI; Char LaBounty, LaBounty & Associates; Brenda Iniguez; Kris Brittain, research director, Gartner Group; Patrick Bultema, CEO, FrontRange; Gary Lemke, CEO, RealMarket; Greg Oxton, executive director, The Consortium for Service Innovation; David Ratcliffe, president and CEO, Pink Elephant Professional Services; Sandra Simpson, partner, Logical Process Corporation; Joel Fleischer, chief technical editor, Call Center Magazine; Paula Howell, director, Customer Support Services, Ernst & Young, LLP; Richard Hanke, director, Enterprise Service Desk, Lockheed Martin; and Malcolm Fry, senior executive partner, Peregrine Systems, Inc.
About Help Desk Institute
Help Desk Institute (HDI) is the world's largest membership association for the service and support industry. Founded in 1989, HDI's mission is to lead and promote the customer service and technical support industry by empowering its members through access to timely and valuable industry information, including reports and publications; encouraging member collaboration through events and online forums; and establishing internationally recognized, standards-based industry certification and training programs. In addition to membership, certification, and training, HDI produces the highest-rated industry event, the HDI Annual Conference and Expo, for customer service and technical support professionals. HDI is member-focused, and remains vendor-neutral in its efforts to facilitate open, independent networking and information sharing within the association network. HDI has more than 7,500 members worldwide, (including 90% of the Fortune 500), and more than 50 active U.S. chapters. For more information, visit, www.thinkhdi.com.
| Contacts: |
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| Jen McClure AMP Communications 510-796-1475 jenm@ampcomm.com |
--or-- | Jeff Young Media Relations Akamai Technologies, Inc. 617-444-3913 jyoung@akamai.com |
Colorado Springs, Colo. - April 4 , 2003 -- Help Desk Institute (HDI), the world's largest membership association for service and support professionals, today announced the appointment of industry luminary Phil Verghis to the position of chairperson of the HDI Strategic Advisory Board for a one-year term. Char LaBounty, retiring chairperson, made the announcement during her keynote address at the HDI Annual Conference and Expo held recently in Las Vegas.
Currently vice president of Infrastructure and Support for Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), a leading provider of services that enable the world's leading enterprises to extend and control their e-business infrastructure, Verghis is recognized as a visionary in the customer support market.
"I am very pleased to announce Phil as the next chairperson of this board," said LaBounty. "He is a highly-respected figure in the service and support industry. His leadership and expertise, including the development of a world-class customer care organization at Akamai, are sure to positively guide and inspire HDI members in pursuing the vision we have created."
Ron Muns, founder and CEO of HDI, added, "Phil's extensive experience in the industry will bring tremendous insight to HDI's prestigious Strategic Advisory Board."
Verghis' contributions to the service and support industry are significant, and he is a frequent speaker on industry-related topics. Ten years ago, he created the Help Desk FAQ online at a time when most people had not used the Internet. Over half a million visitors later, the FAQ remains a popular resource, a project that Verghis still maintains and updates monthly on a volunteer basis. The Help Desk FAQ can be accessed at www.philverghis.com/helpdesk.html
From his roots in customer support, Verghis is now a senior executive with Akamai, which operates the world's largest globally distributed computing platform.
"I'm honored to have the opportunity to work with such an impressive group. I look forward to working with HDI's strategic advisory board to make informed recommendations on industry trends and directions so that HDI's members and the industry are better prepared to meet tomorrow's challenges," said Verghis.
HDI's strategic advisory board's membership comprises fourteen leading industry luminaries, support industry executives, vendor CEOs, international representatives, and members of the media and analyst community. HDI's strategic advisory board includes Ron Muns, founder and CEO, HDI; Char LaBounty, LaBounty & Associates; Brenda Iniguez; Kris Brittain, research director, Gartner Group; Patrick Bultema, CEO, FrontRange; Gary Lemke, CEO, RealMarket; Greg Oxton, executive director, The Consortium for Service Innovation; David Ratcliffe, president and CEO, Pink Elephant Professional Services; Sandra Simpson, partner, Logical Process Corporation; Joel Fleischer, chief technical editor, Call Center Magazine; Paula Howell, director, Customer Support Services, Ernst & Young, LLP; Richard Hanke, director, Enterprise Service Desk, Lockheed Martin; and Malcolm Fry, senior executive partner, Peregrine Systems, Inc.
About Help Desk Institute
Help Desk Institute (HDI) is the world's largest membership association for the service and support industry. Founded in 1989, HDI's mission is to lead and promote the customer service and technical support industry by empowering its members through access to timely and valuable industry information, including reports and publications; encouraging member collaboration through events and online forums; and establishing internationally recognized, standards-based industry certification and training programs. In addition to membership, certification, and training, HDI produces the highest-rated industry event, the HDI Annual Conference and Expo, for customer service and technical support professionals. HDI is member-focused, and remains vendor-neutral in its efforts to facilitate open, independent networking and information sharing within the association network. HDI has more than 7,500 members worldwide, (including 90% of the Fortune 500), and more than 50 active U.S. chapters. For more information, visit, www.thinkhdi.com.
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