Edtech leader Ali Hayward appointed Managing Director
PanelWise has officially launched as a new UK service designed to help schools manage the cost, risk and disruption of classroom screen failure once manufacturer warranty ends.
Ali Hayward has been appointed Managing Director of the business, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience across the global education technology sector.
All interactive classroom displays are supplied with at least a five-year manufacturer warranty. After that point, responsibility for faults and repair costs sits fully with the school.
With an estimated 450,000+ classroom screens installed across the UK, many are now moving beyond that initial warranty period, creating a growing and often unplanned financial pressure for schools.
At the same time, schools are under increasing pressure to manage budgets more predictably, extend the life of existing assets, and align technology decisions with wider sustainability and strategic planning priorities.
In many cases, this is driving a shift away from fixed replacement cycles towards longer lifecycle management, where schools look to extend the usable life of technology rather than replace it at the first point of failure.
When a screen fails outside of warranty, the decision is typically reactive: repair if possible, or replace entirely. Both options can be costly, disruptive, and difficult to manage within already constrained budgets.
PanelWise has been created to provide a clear alternative.
The service offers schools a fixed-cost way to extend support for existing classroom screens, helping to reduce the risk of sudden replacement spend and bring greater predictability to technology budgets.
Designed to work across mixed estates and multiple brands, PanelWise provides a structured support model that includes rapid triage, engineered swap-out, and lifecycle-based planning for device management.
Ali Hayward, Managing Director of PanelWise, said:
“Schools are dealing with a very real challenge as large numbers of classroom screens move out of warranty at the same time.
At the same time, expectations haven’t changed. Classrooms still need to function every day, and budgets are under more scrutiny than ever.
When something fails, it’s not just a technical issue. It becomes a budget decision, a procurement decision, and often a disruption to teaching.
PanelWise is about giving schools a practical, straightforward way to manage that. It brings certainty to something that is usually reactive, and helps schools stay in control of both cost and continuity.”
Hayward has held senior leadership roles at Promethean, RM, Granada Learning, Xerox and HP. As SVP for UKI and APAC at Promethean, he led the international business to a market-leading position, developing channel and demand programmes that supported long-term growth.
PanelWise is supported operationally by Equinox Maintenance, a UK-based service organisation with over 40 years of experience in engineering, repair, refurbishment and lifecycle management.
This partnership provides PanelWise with national coverage, established infrastructure, and the capability to deliver consistent service at scale, including rapid response, on-site engineering, and device replacement and recycling.
The service also incorporates circular economy principles, including refurbishment, reuse and certified recycling, supporting schools in meeting sustainability and reporting objectives.
PanelWise is available to schools and multi-academy trusts across the UK from launch.
ENDS
Notes to editors
PanelWise is a UK-based service focused on extending the lifecycle of interactive classroom displays through fixed-cost support, replacement and recycling services.
The business is supported by Equinox Maintenance, a long-established UK service provider with national engineering coverage and specialist repair and refurbishment capabilities.
For more information, visit: www.panel-wise.com
Media enquiries: Louise Abbey – [email protected]