T.J. Trojan, the former president of NEC Display Solutions, has joined Synnex ofFremont, Calif., as senior vice president of peripherals.
He will report to Peter Larocque, president, U.S. distribution at Synnex. Trojan will be primarily responsible for the development and growth of Synnex’ computer peripherals business in the U.S.
Trojan retired as President and COO after a 24 year run at the company. He was replaced by Nobuya Sakagami. Trojan emailed CDN recently saying that he was net yet ready to retire.
“I plan on taking a position, in the industry, that will provide me a little more time to spend on more important aspects of my life and family. Working at NEC was great, but I never felt that I had enough of a life outside of NEC – especially since I took over as President a few years ago. It was time for me to have a little more balance, so I stepped down,” he said via email.
During his time at NEC, Trojan shifted the company’s focus from volume and price player to a solutions-first display company. This move enabled NEC to gain share in the enterprise space and in digital signage.
Also during his time, Trojan lead NEC through the partnership with Mitsubishi and then a few year’s later the separation of Mitsubishi. He also was successful in merging the Visual Systems Division of NEC and NEC Display Solutions.
“T.J.’s broad operational and manufacturing background will be very complementary to Synnex as we enter our next phase of growth. As we continue to diversify our business model and create new market opportunities for our customers, having a seasoned executive like T.J. working by my side will be pivotal to our continued success,” Larocque said.
“As a thought leader in the industry, T.J. brings solid experience and strategic insight to Synnex, and we’re delighted to have him on board.”
Trojan entered the computing industry in 1983 after attending the University of Colorado. After a stint in computer distribution and computer retailing, he joined NEC Information Systems in 1987 which later became NEC Technologies, Inc.
Synnex also promoted Gary Palenbaum to senior vice president, consumer electronics.
In his new role, Palenbaum is responsible for cultivating and increasing Synnex’ presence in CE distribution.