Business News sponsored by Drive Control Corporation with Dell Client Peripherals: 

Trusted and rapidly growing enterprise retail software and IT specialist redPanda Software has announced that it has appointed industry veteran Peter Ludi as its business development director. 

Ludi, who most recently was regional director for unified ecommerce platform Flooid – formerly PCMS – will oversee redPanda Software’s growth as it partners with new retailers in their digital transformation journeys. Ludi, who will extend and build on redPanda Software’s existing partnership with Flooid, as well as growing the business in SA and abroad, says: “I am energised to work with the incredible team at redPanda Software to source new avenues and find new ways to bring value to retailers.”

Ludi’s experience spans the length and breadth of the retail and retail technology space in regions as diverse as South Africa, Australia, UK and Dubai. He is an experienced sales director and business development director across EMEA, having worked his way through almost every conceivable retail position, from store management, auditing, finances and operations. It was in his most recent role as regional director for Flooid that he built a relationship with the redPanda Software team.

redPanda Software CEO Gareth Hawkey says Ludi was the perfect candidate to take redPanda Software’s development to the next level. “People are our strongest asset. Peter’s industry experience is invaluable, and we developed a strong relationship in his capacity at Flooid. His entrepreneurial and growth mindset compliment his career-long experience in retail and retail technology,” he says. 

Ludi agrees, saying that his own entrepreneurial drive is as strong as ever. “I have very big ambitions both locally and abroad, and redPanda Software is 100% aligned on this vision,” he says. He adds that in his time with Flooid he had an unprecedented opportunity to view an organisation – redPanda Software - from the outside while also walking the corridors and get to know the people behind the machine. 

“redPanda Software is anchored in integrity and that was a key consideration for me. We developed deep trust while working on various projects, such as our collaboration with some of SA’s largest retailers. This deep trust was not just between redPanda Software and me, but also between Flooid and redPanda Software. This solid foundation stood us in good stead. Joining the team was a logical step for me.”

Ludi says that key to success in the retail enterprise software environment is a deep understanding of retail first, and then retail technology. “Half my working life has been in retail and the other half in retail technology. It is fundamental to being successful and bringing value to clients. If you understand retail, if it’s in your bones, you can intuitively and instinctively see what will and won’t be practical.”

Looking to the future, Ludi says there are very exciting developments happening in the South African retail space. “Watching this new wave of consumer behaviour and then watching retailers react to accommodate this behaviour excites me. Being an enabler for this retail transformation at a leading organisation such as redPanda Software gets me out of bed in the morning.”