Channel roundup: Who's gone where?

The first quarter has gone and those looking for growth over the rest of the year are making moves to bring onboard the right personnel. As usual it's been a busy seven days across all levels of the channel as more staff take up fresh opportunities.

Westcon-Comstor
Leigh Howard has been appointed UK&I sales director reporting into managing director Clive Hailstone. He understands the Weston-Comstor business having enjoyed a spell running the ANZ business. “Leigh is proven, respected and a great fit for us. His rich experience, engaging manner and ability to understand partners’ needs will be central to our success as we introduce new partners into the Cisco world, and work more closely with our existing ones to ensure they really profit from their Cisco business," said Hailstone.

Netwrix
The data specialist has given Steve Dickson the chance to replace Michael Fimin as CEO. Fimin and fellow co-founder Alex Vovk will take on advisory roles. Dickson joined the firm's board of directors last August and has a CV that most recenmtly includes time at Dell. He was also at Quest and came across to Dell when it acquired the firm. “The Cybersecurity and compliance markets are two of the most rapidly evolving sectors in the IT industry. The growing number of data breaches creates a need for products that help companies be more vigilant and protect their IT environments from attacks. Netwrix is on the path to becoming a global leader in its markets," he said.

VMware
The virtualisation specialist has given Jenni Flinders the chance to have a crack at running the channel worldwide. She takes up the vice president, worldwide channels role with a brief to work across the ecosystem and help partners take advantage of digital transformation trends. “Our partners are key to helping customers realize the value of VMware solutions including our compute, cloud, mobility, networking and security offerings. They are a critical source of valued expertise to customers around the world," said Flinders, who has a CV that includes plenty of channel experience at the likes of Daarlandt Partners and Microsoft.

Flashpoint
The business risk player has turned to former IBM staffer Jeff Seifert to become executive director of global channels and partnerships. He has a background in expanding partner schemes and extending into fresh geographical areas. His appointment follows the launch last year of the firm's channel programme.

Blancco Technology Group
The firm has named industry veteran Matt Jones as CEO taking over from interim CEO Simon Herrick. He has a track record of holding senior industry positions, including at E8 Security, InterAct, CloudShield Technologies and Allocity. “Blancco is truly an industry leader in data erasure and diagnostics, which are incredibly important aspects of data compliance and cybersecurity that companies of all sizes need to take into consideration,” he said.

Riverbed
The decision by co-founder and CEo Jerry Kennelly to retire means that Brit and well known channel name Paul Mountford can take over. “I’m extremely proud of what our team has built at Riverbed the last 16 years, growing from a start-up to a billion-dollar company serving 30,000 customers and every Forbes Global 100 company,” said Kennelly. “Riverbed is experiencing significant market momentum in today’s digital world, and I’ve never been more confident about the future of our company and opportunities ahead. After 40+ years in the tech industry, and with Riverbed in a strong position, the time is right for me to retire and hand the reins over to a proven leader in Paul Mountford."