Former IBM exec heads Fritz & Macziol Asia

Victor Silvino, former country manager of IBM Philippines’ Business Partner Organization and managing director of Lotus Software Philippines, was recently appointed as the general manager of Fritz & Macziol Asia Inc., a leading European software, systems and services company based in Ulm, Germany.

Silvino will lead the company’s initial goal of offering IT solutions, which include hardware, software and services that address customers’ critical business needs.

His major focus is to further advance the level of Fritz & Macziol’s solid business relationship with IBM and become a major player in the local market. Thus, the focus is on IBM servers and high availability storage systems.

This portfolio is supplemented by IBM software products (portal applications) and the company’s own VAS application for the raw materials and bulk goods industry, and the Fritz & Macziol Groupware and application suite for optimized corporate communication on the basis of Lotus Notes/Domino and IBM Websphere technologies.

The successful professional experience of Silvino, a 19-year IT veteran, spans general and strategic management, brand and relationship management as well as business partner operations, having served for four years as head of IBM’s Software Group and more recently as country manager of IBM’s Business Partner Organization, which contributes more than 55 percent of IBM Philippines’ total revenue.

He was responsible for leading and managing the company’s strategy toward increasing its momentum and value to its business partners, which include local and multinational system integrators, independent software vendors, distributors, and hardware, software and value partners.

Prior to joining IBM Philippines, Silvino, at 29, became one of the youngest top executives in the local IT industry by becoming managing director of Lotus Software Philippines Inc., a 100-percent IBM company, from 1997 to 2001.

He led the successful merger of Lotus with IBM and oversaw the integration of Informix as well as Rational Software organizations. He was responsible for managing the industry’s comprehensive e-business infrastructure, software solutions and professional services portfolio consisting of five major brands – Lotus, Websphere, DB2, Tivoli, and Rational.

Founded as a joint venture, this is Fritz & Macziol’s first foray in the Asia-Pacific.

For Heribert Fritz, founding director and president of Fritz & Macziol Asia Inc., the move to one of the fastest growing markets in the world is a logical next step from previous successful activities.

"As our long-term customer, Lafarge, operates with its headquarters in Paris and other sites in the Asia-Pacific region, this step was an obvious one for us. On the premise, ‘We follow our customers,’ we are now also providing rapid service of the highest quality from one hand to existing and potential customers there."