Channel roundup: Who's gone where?

With the second quarter well under way various forms have put the call out for some fresh talent to help support growth ambitions. Last week saw the usual movement across the industry with some well seasoned players getting the chance to start a fresh chapter.

Lexmark 
Thomas Valjak is joining the firm as vice president channel, EMEA. He comes with a CV that includes 24 years at HP and plenty of channel experience. “The appointment of Thomas signifies our commitment to the EMEA channel and we’re thrilled to have such a recognised industry leader join our organization,” said Sammy Kinlaw, vice president, Worldwide Channel and OEM Sales, Lexmark. “Thomas’ experience will be vital in helping us deliver our programmes and go-to-market strategy for the diverse network of partners we have across the region.”

Snowflake 
The cloud data warehouse specialist has given Frank Slootman the nod as chairman and CEO with the former CEO Bob Muglia leaving the business. Slootman has a CV that includes time as chairman and CEO of ServiceNow and Data Domain. “Snowflake is one of the most significant new companies in Silicon Valley and we believe Frank is the right leader at this juncture to fully realize that potential,” said Mike Speiser, Director at Snowflake, “The best time to make a change is when things are going well. We’re thrilled to have Frank take the helm at Snowflake. We also wish to recognize the incredible role Bob Muglia has played over the past five years to get us to this point.”

Snom 
The firm has given Stephan Fuchs the chance to make an impact as channel director for Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg. He will be the direct contact for distributors, carriers, ITSPs and partners in this region. Fuchs has extensive experience in the telecommunications industry and has worked for Tomtelecom, amongst others. "Snom places great emphasis on local presence and solid understanding of the market," says Gernot Sagl, CEO of Snom. "Stephan’s knowledge and experience will contribute to establishing the Snom brand further in the region.”

Axcient 
The firm has appointed Ben Nowacky to SVP of Product, with a remit that covers the strategic direction of the engineering organization with a focus on enhancing the partner experience through innovation. Eric White, president of Axcient, welcomed the hire: “Ben brings a robust set of talents to the Axcient team that will elevate and scale our engineering capabilities. Axcient’s vision is to help MSPs protect everything while providing the best partner experience, and Ben’s leadership skills and abilities will help us accomplish our goals through new programs and innovations.”

Panasonic 
Chris Turner has become the country manager for UK & Ireland for the TOUGHBOOK Group. He takes over from Kevin Tristram who remains on hand to support Turner, who has himself been with the business for more than a decade. The ambition is to grow the firm's share of the handheld market. “Historically the challenge has been to put computing power into the hands of mobile workforces to improve productivity and reduce costs,” added Turner “The next wave of business transformation comes from delivering tailored mobile business solutions to the workforce. Those solutions come from combining the power of our rugged devices with the right applications, management functionality and peripherals to enable the mobile worker to achieve more than ever before possible.

Cheetah Digital 
The cross-channel marketing software player has made a handful of additions to its executive team with Steven Elsham joining as GM and SVP of EMEA, Ryan Hooper as VP Client Success of EMEA and Sharon Forder as VP marketing of EMEA. “In every decision we make, whether it's bringing new innovation to life or hiring top talent, we intentionally prioritize the needs of marketers,” said Sameer Kazi, CEO, Cheetah Digital. “With more than 60 years of combined experience serving marketers at companies like Oracle and Salesforce, Steven, Ryan, and Sharon not only strengthen our ability to meet the unique needs of our clients, but also help them deliver successful enterprise-scale brand experiences that drive revenue and create meaningful customer engagement."

Sigma 
The cloud business intelligence player has made a triple swoop for some senior executives that will bring the business plenty of experience. Ryan Ried, who previously served as the senior vice president of sales at Seattle-based Chef, a leader in continuous automation software, becomes president. Wade Tibke, Sigma’s newly appointed vice president of marketing operations, comes to Sigma from Tableau Software where he served as vice president of marketing operations. Finally, Julie Lemieux who previously worked as the head of user experience at Databricks will serve as vice president of design.