Smith Appoints Cleat Kimbrough as Vice President, EMEA

Cleat will support Smith’s growth and development initiatives in the critical EMEA region

Houston, TX (September 9, 2019) – Smith, a global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces the appointment of Cleat Kimbrough to the role of Vice President, EMEA. In this role, Cleat will support Smith’s expansion and development efforts within the rapidly evolving markets of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Cleat joined Smith in 2000 after earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M University. He spent 15 years developing and managing operational processes across the company’s APAC region before taking on the role of Vice President of Operations and Quality, Asia & EU. Most recently, he held the title of Vice President of Business Development – Europe.

“The EMEA region is a fast-evolving one that offers significant opportunities for development and growth,” said Cleat. “I plan to work closely with Smith’s offices in this area to build and optimize the specialized service we can provide local customers. I’m excited to see how we can continually improve our global partners’ experiences as we broaden our footprint and capabilities in this market.”

His years of international experience working within diverse markets and industries will aid him in this goal.

“From opening offices in Germany and Romania to bolstering our operational facilities, Smith has expanded our presence in Europe in recent years to offer more dynamic support to our partners in this key region,” said Marc Barnhill, Smith’s Chief Trading Officer. “We look forward to seeing how Cleat can continue developing our presence, capabilities, and initiatives throughout the whole of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.”

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and directional drilling systems. In 16 cities around the world, Smith’s legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, with global annual sales of $1.66 billion. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smith’s flexible Intelligent Distribution^TM model optimizes customers’ supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smith’s testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smith’s operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the company’s global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number nine among all global distributors. For more information, please visit https://www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000.

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For more information, contact:

Margo Evans
Smith, VP of Marketing
+1 713.430.3966
[email protected]