Toughshield further strengthens UK team

LONDON - July 11, 2013 - PRLog -- Following the recent hire of two key senior managers, Toughshield has strengthened its UK team further with the appointment of Mercedes Gilkes to drive new business opportunities for the channel in the UK and Ireland.

Commenting on the new appointment, Gilkes said: “During my 18 years in the enterprise mobility industry, it has become increasingly obvious to me that the product ranges of all the established mobile hardware manufacturers are missing a truly rugged mobile device with a list price that appeals to all businesses wishing to automate. Toughshield’s rugged smartphone (http://www.tough-shield.com/R500_overview.html) fits perfectly into this gap, offering enterprise grade performance and durability in a consumer form factor, at the same price point as a smartphone.”

Reporting to newly appointed Business Development Director, Merrick Edwards, Gilkes brings extensive enterprise mobility experience to her new role as Business Development Manager.  Prior to this appointment Gilkes held a variety of business development and channel sales roles with rugged hardware vendor Intermec, where she was involved in the transition of the vendor’s route to market from a direct to a predominantly indirect model.

Edwards is delighted that Gilkes has joined his team stating: “Mercedes and I worked together at Intermec where she demonstrated a deep understanding of the rugged mobility market. She is highly respected within the industry. I’m confident that her knowledge of applications and the channel will enable Toughshield and its partners to take advantage of the rapid growth of enterprise smartphone adoption in the UK and Ireland.”

“Toughshield offers a highly credible alternative to the much higher priced enterprise mobility devices and I’m excited by the opportunity of taking such a different product to market.” concluded Gilkes.

About Toughshield:

Founded in 2010 with headquarters in London, Toughshield is a global provider of smartphone devices, which offer a blend of consumer design and ease of use, combined with enterprise specific functionality and durability. These include the R500, a ruggedised smartphone that offers dedicated push to talk and lone worker panic buttons, dual SIM and Near Field Communication. Designed for the elements, the R500 is IP67 and MIL-STD-810 rated against dust and water ingress and comes with Gorilla Glass. Its rugged build and dedicated safety features make it ideal for enterprise customers with mobile workers in a range of sectors including security, transport and logistics, local authority and healthcare. The company continues to develop new smartphones and tablets to meet the specific needs of mobile workers in a variety of sectors. The Toughshield team is ideally placed to address this market having broad experience of both the rugged enterprise mobility and consumer smartphone markets.  http://www.tough-shield.com