Channel roundup: Who’s gone where?

The past week has seen some movement in the industry as firms look to add more depth to their teams in the ever-continuing hunt for growth.

Xerox
The firm has made a senior appointment, naming Xavier Heiss as executive vice-president and president of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations. He replaces Hervé Tessler, who has retired from Xerox. Heiss has been with the firm for 30 years and has spent time in a number of roles, including controller of Xerox and chief financial officer of the company’s Americas Operations. “As the business landscape evolves, many clients driving digital transformations are seeking new ways to navigate change,” said Heiss. “I look forward to working closely with clients to bring them innovative and integrated solutions that accelerate their transformations and make their businesses run better, faster and more secure.”

Kaspersky
Chris Connell has been promoted to the dual role of deputy vice-president of global sales and director of European operations at the security vendor. He will be responsible for corporate and sales strategy execution, sales pipeline planning and performance. Connell became general manager of the UK & Ireland business a year ago and saw that role expand to cover the Nordics and Benelux. His replacement in that role will be announced in the coming months. “It’s an exciting time to be growing with a fast-paced company like Kaspersky that is playing a crucial role at the front line of cyber war defence,” said Connell. “The cornerstone of our business strategy is to transform our leading security intelligence into real protection for our clients, to enable them to use technologies in their lives and businesses safely and trust them. Our goal is to bring on the future for our customers.”

Databarracks
The firm has turned to a former Solicitors Regulation Authority group business continuity manager, Julie Goddard, to join its business continuity-as-a-service (BCaaS) team. Goddard has a strong track record in continuity and will bring a high level of expertise to the business. “Business continuity as a service is a rapidly growing service for us, and we are thrilled to have Julie join us,” said Peter Groucutt, managing director of Databarracks. “Our aim with BCaaS is to take the processes and methods of mature enterprises and deliver it as-a-service to medium-sized organisations. That needs two things. Firstly, the knowledge and experience of managing a business continuity programme and handling incidents. Secondly, the ability to translate those methods and make them work for our customers. Julie does exactly that.”

FibreNation
The full-fibre wholesaler has continued to drive its UK expansion, with Chris Brown handed the role of regional development manager. Brown joins from E.on and will work with housing developers and local authorities to get fibre infrastructure into properties. “Chris joins us at an exciting and pivotal time for the business, as we rapidly accelerate our growth and continue in our commitment to connecting the UK to full fibre – which we firmly believe is the fourth utility we’ve all been waiting for,” said Paul Crane, head of engagement and roll-out at FibreNation.

UserTesting
The firm has made a couple of hires, bringing in Matt Zelen as chief customer officer and Jamie Anderson as chief growth adviser. Zelen comes from a previous stint as chief operating officer of AppZen and Anderson, who will be based in Edinburgh, was an executive at Marketo. “Matt and Jamie are customer-focused executives who will help us continue to bring human insights to more companies at a time when connecting and empathising with customers has never been more important,” said Andy MacMillan, CEO of UserTesting. “We have been building a leadership team that is committed to the vision and strategy of the company, and dedicated to ensuring that UserTesting is the fastest way companies can access the human perspective needed to create any experience with confidence.”