Ann Melaerts joins as Business Area Director and brings 20+ years of experience and an extensive network.
Lund, Sweden, August 8 2017 – Axiell, the leading vendor to public libraries in Europe and the market leader in Scandinavia, today announces the expansion of its operations in Europe. Ann Melaerts, formerly General Manager Library Division and VP Independent business units at INFOR, joins Axiell as Vice President & Business Area Director for Axiell Public Libraries. Ann will be responsible for sales from Axiell’s solutions and services portfolio to public libraries in Europe, which includes Axiell Quria®, a cloud based library services platform, and Axiell Arena, an advanced and robust online discovery portal for libraries.
As society evolves and changes, so must libraries and their services. Axiell’s solutions are the sum of over 30 years’ experience of working closely with libraries across Scandinavia and Europe. They are designed to help libraries manage their transformation to a modern public service and become the “third place”, where the patron is the central focus. The move to e-media and digital solutions is also high on the agenda. Axiell recognises that the knowledge and understanding of the industry, it’s challenges and how to meet them is extremely important in order to be relevant to its customers, and provides the basis for stable and long term partnerships. Therefore, investing in key staff with that knowledge is a valuable part of the Axiell strategy.
Commenting on Ann joining Axiell, Joel Sommerfeldt, CEO of Axiell Group, said: “I am extremely pleased to welcome Ann Melaerts to the Axiell Group. Ann is an icon in the library industry in Europe and we are glad that she has decided to join us and be part of the Axiell journey. Her experience will be very valid to help ensure that our solutions and services, such as Arena and Axiell Quria®, meet the needs of the market and that we can continue our growth. We look forward to working together to deliver solutions that will transform and help European libraries provide world-class services to their local communities.”
Axiell is the market leader as IT provider to the cultural sector in Europe, delivering solutions and services to libraries, museums, archives and educational institutions in 21 European countries from 12 offices. The company also provides digital media and e-books to libraries and retailers in Scandinavia. With the geographic coverage and broad solution set, the company strategy is to provide solutions that will allow the customers to connect with other institutions and share data and information, all with the objective to provide a better service and complete knowledge experience to patrons, students, museum visitors and researchers alike.
“I am glad that I have joined Axiell. The company has solid experience in the library market and a passion for literacy, learning and preserving cultural heritage – all pillars of a democratic society. The investments that the company is making with Axiell Quria, for example, were extremely important when I made my choice, alongside the commitment that the company has to the library industry. The focus on the cultural sector and the possibility to work with the the other cultural sectors is unique and will allow us to provide an offer that is relevant for the future,” says Ann Melaerts, Vice President & Business Area Director for Axiell Public Library.
For more information:
Maria Wasing, CMO Axiell Group AB
maria.wasing@axiell.com
+46 73 852 17 52
About Axiell
Axiell serves libraries, schools, archives, museums and authorities with technically advanced and innovative solutions developed in close cooperation with its customers. More than 3000 library organizations with thousands of branches use an Axiell library management system and Axiell Arena, a tool for the virtual library. The systems for archives, libraries and museums, are used by over 3400 cultural institutions over the world. In addition, more than 3000 schools use an Axiell system. The Axiell Group, headquartered in Lund, has more than 320 employees based out of 26 offices in Sweden, Australia, Abu Dhabi, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. Together, we form one of the world’s largest companies in these sectors. To find out more about us and our products, please visit https://www.axiell.com