Channel roundup: Who's gone where?

As we enter December there are no signs of the recruitment merry-go-round slowing dpown with some fresh faces jumping on over the past week.

Vonage
Cloud comms player Vonage has appointed a fresh channel UK boss and kicked off a partner programme as it steps up its investment. Adam Wilson comes on board as UK channel lead, where he will be expected to lean on the experience he recently gained at Telstra, where he helped develop the indirect business. He comes in at the moment when the firm is investing significantly in the channel as it looks for more growth and is rolling out its Partner Network offering to reward existing partners with more support and incentives and to tempt in some fresh blood. “At Vonage, we have a simple philosophy for our partners in the channel – the success of our partners’ business is instrumental to the growth of our company. Now is the time for dedicated international leadership as we expand our presence in the UK channel, and we are thrilled to welcome Adam to the team to build on our existing relationships and success,” said Mario DeRiggi, svp channel sales and business development at Vonage. Wilson said that he was joining "at a pivotal time" in the firm's global expansion plans and was keen to get its proposition out in front of partners.

Colt Data Centre Services
The firm has named Niclas Sanfridsson as its new CEO. The change at the top of the business comes as the current boss, Detlef Spang, plans to retire at the end of this year after leading the business since its inception as an operationally independent business from the Colt network business in 2015. His CV includes a spell as managing director of Equinix in the Nordic region and a decade and a half at Telecity. “We are confident that with almost 20 years of experience in running data centre businesses Niclas will lead Colt DCS into its next phase of growth and build further upon the customer success that we have seen in satisfying the requirements of our customers across the globe," said Michael Wilens, chairman, Colt Data Centre Services.

Ultima 
Tamsin Ashmore has come on board as CFO. Her CV includes time art Technicolor, BT, Merlin Entertainments and Unilever. That varied background, beyond just the world of tech, was one of the attributes that stood out to Scott Dodds, Ultima CEO. “Tamsin brings with her strong experience in managing significant business transformation across different sectors, not just technology. As Ultima embarks on a period of intense growth, backed by Apse Capital, Tamsin’s role will be to help us deliver commercially on the new products and services we are offering customers to advance them on their automation and digital transformation journeys," he said.

Exertis 
The distributor has looked to Rikki Harrison to step into the newly created role of general manager, Dell EMC, reporting to Jason Beeson, Exertis enterprise sales director. He joins from Tech Data where most recently, he had responsibility for the IBM systems and storage business in EMEA. Prior to that he worked for Arrow as a business manager for IBM storage.“The opportunity to build a team dedicated to Dell EMC and develop a go-to-market strategy to significantly increase the business was a challenge that appealed to me. Exertis is a distributor with a clear focus on increasing its enterprise presence by offering resellers great solutions from world-class vendors”, said Harrison.

8x8 
The cloud comms player has appointed Keith Jackson as director of channel sales, EMEA. he joins from RingCentral and has plenty of market knowledge and experience. “Over the coming months, we will be taking the already successful 8x8 partner business programme to the next level. 8x8 is a channel-first business through and through, which is why I’m so pleased to be joining,” said Jackson. “The company already has a fantastic strategy in place, but I’m looking forward to everything 2020 has in store and to working with such a personable and driven team.”

Elite Group
The firm has turned to a former M247 and BT staffer Emma Blackburn to become the firm's next finance director. Her role will not only include looking after the daya to day finance functions but also supporting M&A activity. “Emma has strong experience in managing significant business transformation. We’re delighted she’s joined us so we can benefit from this experience to help our transformation journey as Elite develops its position as a one-stop-shop for all our customer’s IT and communications needs.,": said Rob Sims, CEO of Elite Group.

Unit4 
The ERP specialist has looked to James Shand to make a difference as its next global head of cloud transformation. He joins from SAP SuccessFactors, where he held the role of chief customer officer. "Customer engagement and success are pivotal to Unit4’s continued growth and success transforming the enterprise software People Experience. I am excited at the opportunity to lead the transformation and build the organisation required to support and delight Unit4 customers at every touch point," he said.