Traka appoints Brenda Taylor as its new Sales and Marketing Director

Brenda was previously Business Development Director for EMEA at Lenel

Traka, the intelligent access management systems company, has named Brenda Taylor (formerly Koesterman) as its new Sales and Marketing Director. Taylor, previously Business Development Director for EMEA at leading security systems provider Lenel, brings a wealth of experience building brands in the security market to Traka. She will lead Traka’s global sales and marketing efforts as it seeks to continue the double-digit, year-on-year sales growth which saw the company achieve a turnover of £13.2million in 2012 and be acquired by market leader ASSA ABLOY.

Since its launch in 1994, UK-based Traka has built a reputation for developing security systems that enable organisations to intelligently manage and secure assets controlled by traditional locks and keys. Its solutions are now used for key and asset management within organisations such as Her Majesty’s Prison Service, British Airways, Tesco and Jaguar Land Rover. Taylor will be tasked with continuing to grow Traka’s UK customer base while also developing the company’s growing presence across the US, EMEA and emerging markets.

“This is a pivotal moment for Traka,” Taylor explains. “It has revolutionised asset management. Despite the development of smartcards and other electronic technologies, the vast majority of businesses still rely on physical keys to manage assets and personal and intellectual property. Or worse, in some cases they do not protect assets adequately at all. Bringing the assets these traditional keys control under the auspices of intelligent management systems is a very compelling proposition for customers. Traka has seen tremendous success in the UK; it is not a secret that the international growth opportunity, particularly in the US, is exponential. This is truly an exciting time in Traka’s history and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

Taylor brings with her 15 years experience in the security solutions market, having spent the early years of her career with the likes of Pinkerton Systems Integration and Vigilos before moving to Lenel in 2004. She began her career at Lenel as Business Development Director for the US and Western Canada, where she increased revenue in the region by more than 400% over 6 years. She later took over the EMEA market in early 2011 where she built and led a team of Business Development Managers across the region.

John Kent, president and founder of Traka, commented: “This is a major hire for Traka and sends a very clear message to the industry. We are on the cusp of taking our business to the next level. There is huge market potential for the Traka solution. We’ve won some major contracts in the UK and have an incredible opportunity to replicate that success in other markets. Brenda’s experience in managing major sales and marketing campaigns across EMEA and the US will be invaluable. We’re delighted she is joining and look forward to working with her to deliver the next chapter in Traka’s growth story.”