Richard Blundell, a business leader with a strong track record of delivering exponential growth for a range of technology companies, has been appointed IT Services Divisional Director at business services specialist Commercial.

Blundell’s early career included entrepreneurial success with Software as a Service offerings in the late 1990s before selling one of his businesses to the MessageLabs Group in 2003. He then co-led Star Internet’s Managed Services Division working closely with IBM to launch their On Demand suite of services in the UK, before switching to be a Communications Director within the main MessageLabs Group in 2007. The business was sold to Symantec in October 2008 for £400m and since then Blundell has been CEO of two technology firms, Housing Partners in Worcester and BugFinders in Cheltenham.

Commercial employs 300 people, 70 of whom work in IT Services, and Blundell expects to double the division’s turnover in the next two to three years. His strategic plan for the business includes strengthening Commercial IT Services’ disruptive messaging in the market as well as strengthening its existing position in the legal and education sectors. He is also keen to explore other data-centric industries such as accountancy, financial services and retail.

Providing intelligence-led, cost-effective and reliable IT infrastructure support has underpinned Commercial IT Services’ success to date. However, Blundell was attracted to Commercial because of its deeply embedded social and environmental sustainability credentials. He intends to make this central to the IT Services business proposition going forward.

“There is an unmet need for managed service providers with a conscience,” Blundell explains. “I am a personal advocate of ‘profit for good’ and can’t think of any business services company in the UK that addresses this more effectively than Commercial.

“When business leaders talk about IT developments such as cloud migration, they quite rightly focus on areas such as performance and security. But it’s also important to acknowledge and address the fact that workplace technologies are a major contributor of carbon emissions. Switching to a cloud-based model can reduce the number of power-hungry, inefficient machines in the office and we’re keen to talk to businesses who want to apply social and environmental filters to their technology purchasing.”

Co-founder of Commercial, Simone Hindmarch, believes Blundell’s appointment will be a catalyst for change, both within the business and in the industry at large.

“Richard shares and understands the nuances of our Commercial By Nature ethos,” says Hindmarch. “Coupled with his outstanding career achievements to date, we know he’s the right person to lead Commercial IT Services’ next phase of growth.”

In addition to IT Services, Commercial provides office supplies, managed print services and outsourced print as well as office interiors and technologies. Sustainability is central to the business strategy and 20% of profits are diverted to its social enterprise, Commercial Foundation, which works with disadvantaged young people to improve their employment prospects.

On 28 June, Commercial is hosting its 11^th CSR Day in Cheltenham. This year’s speakers include Wayne Hemingway and Ed Gillespie. Further information is available at www.csrday.co.uk