Meet the Team: Kate & Billy

Kate Davis admits she fell into the world of IT not long after finishing high school. Her cousin got her a job at Hartech, filing documents while she figured out what she wanted to do with her life. It didn’t take her long to realise what that was, after witnessing the day-to-day operations of the internal sales team.

“I loved the passion and excitement they had for their job and the thrill they got from winning a big deal. That made me think, oh, hang on, I think maybe I'd like to do this.”

Kate had found her calling and eventually joined the channel in 1999. She joined our Dicker Data team back in 2007, after becoming a mum.

“I started doing account management part-time, then after about 3 months I moved into a Business Development role. I liked being out on the road in front of partners and with our vendors and finding ways to support that. I did the general Business Development Manager role for 16 years, 10 of which I was managing the national accounts.”

At the start of 2024, Kate was chosen to look after one of our new vendors, NetApp – an adjustment she relished.

“I like working in the NetpApp Business Unit because I have one vendor now, as opposed to 150. It’s allowed me to become a lot more involved with just that one vendor and learning the technology and learning the process and getting to know their people on a deeper level.”

September will mark Kate’s 18th year here at Dicker Data and says it’s the culture and point of difference that’s kept her here all this time.

“Everyone is professional and friendly. They're just a great bunch of people to work with and you know, everyone wants to help one another. Dicker Data is a little bit unique and different to other distributors. Whilst you've got a generalist team that will be the conduit, there’s all this expertise that sits behind that generalist team that our partners might not be aware of.”

Kate believes her knack for quickly building rapport with people has been key to her success. Just last year, she won NetApp’s Rising Star Award.

“I know what's made me successful is understanding people and knowing what their drivers are and then working towards that to achieve joint goals. I also have a real sense of urgency, and I find that the people I deal with, mostly on a day-to-day basis, have that as well, which makes my life a lot easier.”

Her sense of urgency might stem from her sporting nature, which always shines through.

"I think I'm a very, very competitive person and that probably is what drives me. I love sport, lots of sport. And now I get to live vicariously through my kids via their sport. I have a daughter who has represented Australia in netball and NSW. So that's something I'm extremely proud of."

Billy Hatzinikolis

Next, we take you to the heart of our Dicker Data warehouse to meet our Logistics Manager, Billy Hatzinikolis.  It’s 2014, Billy’s just finished high school, he’d never even heard of Dicker Data. Well, that all changed one day at the gym, where he bumped into someone who worked at…yes, you guessed it, Dicker Data.

“It was definitely an eye-opener to the IT world that I never quite knew existed. Back then Dicker Data was quite underground, and I didn’t know what to expect. When I arrived in 2014 and saw the scale of the warehouse operation, it was massive in size, but small and family-orientated in culture. I knew this was a company I want to be a part of and grow with. It’s crazy to think that Dicker Data was just around the corner in the Sutherland Shire."

Billy started working in the warehouse and hasn’t looked back since. He attributes his long tenure to the positive culture and excellent working environment Dicker Data provides.

“From the owners and upper management to the warehouse, I believe we provide a great culture filled with support and opportunities. For someone like me, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. I’ve been fortunate to have Ian Welch as a mentor, who’s not only helped me develop a greater understanding of warehousing and logistics but also broadened my horizons on the wider company operations and how it all ties together.”

11 years later and Billy’s worked his way up the ranks to become our Logistics Manager.

“My day-to-day responsibilities include, firstly, always ensuring our warehouse and team operate in a safe and responsible manner.  Ensure we maintain compliance with all our OH&S responsibilities while implementing efficient processes to ensure customer expectations are maintained or exceeded. Communication is essential, we consistently liaise with our internal hardware team, sales team, orders/customer service teams, and then externally with our carriers, ensuring our deliveries are executed in a timely fashion. We are always working towards providing the best possible service and experience for our Dicker Data partners."

He’s not biased, but he believes Dicker Data provides the best distribution services to Australian IT partners, consistently going above and beyond to fulfill requests for our valued partners. 

“We are flexible in the way we can distribute our orders and execute certain special projects, and we will go the extra mile for our partners to ensure they get what they need when they need it. 

Billy has always maintained an optimistic outlook on life, following this advice.  

“I think you need to find the positive in every negative situation. I think in today's world there's always a lot of, let's call it “noise”. You can choose to be the pillar of light; you can set the example.” 

During Billy’s time here at Dicker Data, he’s achieved some special personal milestones, outside of work, along the way. 

“During the early days I travelled to Germany for soccer. I got engaged and married to my wife, Alysa, which has been a very exciting part of my life and journey. I have made friends at Dicker Data who have become family. I’m very appreciative of the team who has always supported me” 

Congratulations, Billy! Thank you for sharing your story with us.

To find out more about our Dicker Data warehouse team and services get in touch at sales@dickerdata.com.au