30 Notable IT Executive Moves: October 2020

New CEOs at CommScope, Fidelis Cybersercurity and Logi Analytics as well as big personnel changes at HPE, Intel, Nvidia, Dropbox, VMware and Tech Data were among October’s most notable executive IT moves for October.

Big Personnel Changes Continue Across The Tech Landscape

The appointment of new leaders at CommScope, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Dropbox and Logi Analytics headlined the most notable IT executive moves in October.

Last month also saw big personnel changes at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Nvidia, Intel, Tech Data, Digital Guardian, VMware, Cisco Systems and Google Cloud.

What follows are the 30 most notable IT executive moves from October 2020.

Charles “Chuck” Treadway

Network infrastructure provider CommScope said that its CEO of 15 years, Eddie Edwards, stepped down and was succeeded by Charles “Chuck” Treadway.

Treadway, who is now CEO, president and member of CommScope’s board, most recently served as CEO of Accudyne Industries, a provider of industrial compressors, which was a portfolio company of BC Partners and current CommScope investor The Carlyle Group. Treadway also served as president and CEO of Thomas & Betts Corp., CEO of Custom Sensors and Technologies, president of Yale Security, and held various positions at Schneider Electric for more than nine years.

CommScope also said that Frank Drendel had been named chairman emeritus. Drendel founded CommScope in 1976 and has served continuously as its CEO and at times, chairman of the board since its start. Bud Watts, most recently CommScope‘s lead independent director of the board, is replacing Drendel as chairman of the board.

Anup Ghosh

Fidelis Cybersecurity, a provider of extended detection and response solutions, appointed former Accenture executive Anup Ghosh as its new CEO, taking over from Nick Lantuh, who left earlier this year following the company’s sale to private equity firm Skyview Capital.

Ghosh was most recently managing director and global platforms lead for Accenture Security. Prior to that, he founded and led Invincea, a cybersecurity company that was acquired by Sophos in March 2017. Previously, he was a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

“Anup is extremely well-qualified to lead Fidelis in the next stage of its growth”, said Darryl Smith, president of global portfolio operations at Skyview Capital, in a statement. “His deep knowledge of the cybersecurity industry coupled with his visionary leadership experience at Invincea and Accenture make him the ideal leader for Fidelis, and more importantly, for Fidelis’s customers that need ever greater visibility and control over the threats they are facing.”

Kevin Greene

Logi Analytics, a provider of embedded analytics solutions, appointed Kevin Greene as its new CEO, taking over from Steven Schneider, who is moving into the role of executive chairman.

Greene joined in Logi Analytics in 2013 as vice president of business development and was then promoted to COO in May 2017. Prior to joining the company, Greene served as a principal at Flagship Ventures, a venture capital firm now known as Flagship Pioneering, and as a partner at venture capital firm Valhalla Partners. He also worked at IBM and Goldman Sachs.

“For nearly 15 years, I have been honored to be a part of building Logi Analytics and helping create the embedded analytics industry,” Schneider said in a statement. “Kevin’s strategic vision, passion and discipline, combined with his intimate understanding of our business and customers, make him the right person to lead Logi. Kevin has been a key architect in building Logi’s global customer success team, and his passion for Logi’s partners, products and people will continue to empower them in the future.”

Andrew Manners

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Vice President and General Manager of North America Storage Andrew Manners, a highly respected 20-year HPE veteran who has driven a host of investments aimed at driving profitable channel growth, is leaving HPE.

Manners, who started his HPE career as director of storage sales in Australia, has overseen the North America storage sales effort for the past five years including a dedicated channel sales team that worked hand in hand with partners to drive storage growth.

Timothy Young

Dropbox promoted Timothy Young to the role of president, putting him in charge of the company’s day-to-day business operations, which includes product, engineering, design and go-to-market teams.

Young was most recently senior vice president and general manager of product for Dropbox, which he joined in October 2019. Prior to that, Young was vice president of product and engineering for VMWare’s End-User Computing and Mobile Computing business units.

“In his time at Dropbox, Timothy’s commitment to our customers, passion for the company and our products, and deep connection to our mission have made him a trusted leader and close partner to [CEO] Drew [Houston],” Dropbox said in a statement. “He’s an excellent technologist and a passionate entrepreneur, with a sophisticated understanding of our business and industry landscape.”

Amar Maletira

Rackspace Technology appointed Amar Maletira as president and chief financial officer, taking over from current CFO Dustin Semach, who resigned to pursue a new career opportunity.

Maletira was previously executive vice president and CFO at Viavi Solutions. Prior to that, Maletira spent nearly 14 years at Hewlett-Packard, where he most recently served as vice president and CFO for Americas enterprise services.

“I am thrilled to welcome Amar to Rackspace Technology and be back together with him to build upon our proven winning partnership,” said Kevin Jones, CEO of Rackspace, in a statement. “Amar’s incredible five-year track record as public company CFO coupled with his services experience and strategic thinking are winning elements to our growth agenda and value creation for our shareholders and customers.”

Mike Hayes

VMware hired former Cognizant top executive Mike Hayes as its new chief digital transformation officer in a move to accelerate the company’s Software-as-a-Service push.

Hayes will lead the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company’s worldwide business operations and VMware’s effort to drive more sales via Software as a Service. He officially joined VMware Oct. 13.

Prior to VMware, Hayes was senior vice president and head of strategic operations at 270,000-employee IT services powerhouse Cognizant. He was responsible for Cognizant’s largest customers in banking and financial services, and led a change management program to drive scale and growth for the company’s largest accounts, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Ronnie Vasishta

Nvidia made two executive appointments: Ronnie Vasishta as senior vice president of telecom and Graham Sellers as a distinguished engineer.

Vasishta was most recently vice president and general manager of Intel’s Network and Configurable Logic Division, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of eASIC Corporation, which Intel acquired in 2018.

Sellers, who will serve as an architect on Nvidia’s computer vision accelerator team, was most recently a fellow and software architect at AMD, where he worked in research and development for AMD’s next-generation graphics processors, according to his LinkedIn profile, which said that he was also an architect for AMD’s OpenGL and Vulkan drivers.

Tim Bandos

Digital Guardian, a provider in data loss prevention and managed detection and response solutions, promoted Tim Bandos to the role of chief information security officer.

Bandos was previously vice president of cybersecurity for Digital Guardian, which he joined five years ago. Prior to that, he was director of cybersecurity for Dupont.

“Tim‘s experience in cybersecurity has provided him a rich understanding of the evolving threat landscape and the strategies, techniques, and processes every company should deploy to mitigate the risk of data loss,” said Mordecai Rosen, CEO of Digital Guardian, in a statement. “We’re excited to have Tim officially in this important role and I welcome him to my leadership team.”

Bonnie Smith

Tech Data appointed Bonnie Smith as the company’s new chief information officer, taking over from John Tonnison, who is retiring after almost two decades with the company.

Smith was most recently senior vice president and CIO at Lear Corporation, where she worked for four years. She has also worked at six Fortune 250 companies as well as McKinsey & Company.

“This is a pivotal time for Tech Data as we invest in transforming our business to deliver higher value across the technology ecosystem, and we are fortunate to add Bonnie as a perfect fit to lead our technology organization,” said Rich Hume, CEO of Tech Data, in a statement. “Bonnie is a creative problem solver and passionate leader focused on driving growth, and she will be instrumental to helping us accelerate our objectives and differentiate Tech Data in new ways.”

Steve Benvenuto

Longtime Cisco channel leader Steve Benvenuto has accepted an early retirement package from the tech giant, ending his 21-year tenure.

Benvenuto, senior director, global security partner sales for Cisco, said on LinkedIn that his final day at the company was Oct. 6. Prior to his most recent position leading global security partner sales for the last four years, Benvenuto served as senior director, sales and business development of Cisco‘s Cloud Partner Transformation unit for six years. Before that, he spent nine years as senior director, sales and business development for Cisco’s Global Partner Programs.

During its most recent earnings call in August, Cisco announced a $1 billion restructuring plan that included a voluntary early retirement program, which would net estimated pretax charges of approximately $900 million, consisting of severance and other one-time termination benefits, among other costs. The company said at the time that it expects to gain $800 million with these changes in place in the first quarter of Cisco‘s fiscal 2021, which ends in November.

Dana Morris

Virtru, a provider of data protection and privacy solutions, made two executive appointments: Dana Morris as senior vice president of product and Will Peppo as senior vice president of analytics and customer success.

Morris was most recently a senior vice president at MicroStrategy. Prior to that, he spent nearly 20 years at IBM, where he spearheaded the evolution of the company’s Watson Data Platform. Peppo most recently led the development of new data and analytics products at Emodo, the data activation arm of Ericsson. Prior to that, he served in executive management positions at Placecast, which was acquired by Ericsson in 2018, and TxVia, which was acquired by Google in 2012.

“In support of Virtru’s mission to put data owners in control of their data, we continue to make significant advancements to both our developer platform and products to increase adoption and expand customer control capabilities,” Virtru co-founder and CEO John Ackerly said in a statement. “Dana and Will’s combined analytics expertise will enable Virtru to further innovate and deliver best-in-class user experiences and actionable insights so that everyone has the power to fully protect and control their data, everywhere and at all times.”

Brian Dummann

Intel made two executive hires: Brian Dummann as vice president of IT and general manager of data analytics and Taher Madraswala as a vice president of Intel’s Architecture, Graphics and Software group.

Dummann was most recently senior vice president and chief data and analytics officer at McKesson, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he was senior vice president and chief technology officer at General Electric.

Madraswala, who worked at Intel earlier in his career, was most recently executive vice president and general manager at Invecas and, before that, CEO of Open-Silicon, according to his LinkedIn profile.

José Morales

Freshworks, a provider of customer engagement software, appointed former Atlassian executive José Morales as chief revenue officer, taking over from Sidharth Malik, who has moved into a new and expanded role at chairman of Freshworks India.

Morales was most recently head of global field operations at Atlassian, where he worked for 10 years. Prior to that, he held go-to-market and sales leadership roles at PeopleSoft, Epiphany and Jaspersoft.

“Having led Atlassian’s success through its IPO in 2015, José brings a wealth of experience driving global and public sales organizations, which will be critical as Freshworks embarks on its next chapter,” said Girish Mathrubootham, founder and CEO of Freshworks, in a statement. “José has demonstrated his considerable ability to scale organizations and is an ideal fit to lead Freshworks into larger markets as we prime ourselves for future growth and investment opportunities.”

Jason Schroedl

Google Cloud hired former Hewlett Packard Enterprise executive Jason Schroedl as director of its go-to-market strategy for Google Cloud Platform.

Schroedl joins a contingent of his former HPE and Cisco colleagues also recently brought on by Google Cloud, which has been on a hiring spree after pledging in 2019 to triple the size of its sales organization over the next few years. His new team works closely with Google Cloud Platform’s product, marketing and sales teams to drive the GTM execution and manage strategic GTM projects across the GCP product portfolio, according to his LinkedIn page.

As head of global GTM strategy and programs for HPE, Schroedl was responsible for global GTM for its portfolio of enterprise software solutions within its software business unit, including the container platform, artificial intelligence/machine learning, data fabric and security product lines from the BlueData, MapR and Scytale acquisitions. He previously was director of product and solutions marketing at Cisco Systems from April 2011 to October 2014.

Greg Bruno

SoftIron, a provider of task-specific data center solutions, appointed former Teradata executive Greg Bruno to the role of chief architect.

Bruno was most recently an engineering fellow at Teradata, where he served as a member of the company’s Technical and Innovation Office Research Team. He also served as vice president of engineering for the Software Manufacturing Division before that. Prior to that, he was vice president of engineering at StackIQ, where he worked for more than six years.

“We’ve spent the better part of a decade building an innovative technology platform that we believe will fundamentally redefine the data center,” Phil Straw, CEO of SoftIron, said in a statement. “In adding the considerable talents of Greg Bruno, as well as the team he brings with him, to the mix, we’re demonstrating our ongoing commitment to be one of the most strategic computer companies in the world.”

Jonathan Corini

Mimecast hired former Forescout Technologies executive Jonathan Corini as senior vice president of global channels.

Corini was most recently vice president of worldwide channel sales at Forescout, where he worked for more than three years. Prior to that, he worked in channel and sales positions at Tanium and McAfee while it was under ownership by Intel.

“The key areas for me is working with all types of partners to help us expand into enterprise,” Corini told CRN. “From my perspective, this is a pivotal role to help the company.”

Suchitra Bose

Google Cloud appointed former Accenture managing director Suchitra Bose to its newly created director of process manufacturing role for the Americas.

Bose, previously managing director and North American lead for digital productions and operations at Accenture, will be responsible for growing Google Cloud’s business in process manufacturing industries such as chemicals. She also will further develop Google Cloud’s process manufacturing industry strategy and road map, focusing on sales enablement, industry partnerships and deal support.

At Accenture, she worked three-plus years as a managing director at Accenture Digital, leading its North American digital manufacturing and operations practice, with responsibility for strategy, business development, industry alliances, assets and acquisitions. She previously served for 16 months as senior director of strategic partnerships and industry solutions at Prysm, a Milpitas, Calif., provider of large-format laser phosphor displays.

Chris Penrose

FogHorn, a developer of edge AI software for IoT solutions, appointed former AT&T executive Chris Penrose as chief operating officer.

Penrose was most recently senior vice president or portfolio integration and partner solutions for AT&T Business Solutions. He also served as senior vice president of AT&T IoT Solutions.

“Chris brings years of proven experience growing and scaling new business across various complex technology domains and vital vertical audiences to the FogHorn team,” said David C. King, CEO of FogHorn, in a statement. “His passion for collaborative leadership and forward-thinking innovation, paired with his deep experience and knowledge of IoT and 5G, will play a critical role in continuing our rapid company growth and deepening our portfolio of industry use cases. Additionally, his extensive industry relationships will bolster FogHorn’s affluent partner ecosystem and we’re honored to have him join our team.”

Manoj Agarwal

Longtime Nutannix engineering leader Manoj Agarwal left the company.

Agarwal was senior vice president of engineering and general manager of hybrid cloud at Nutanix and was responsible for the Nutanix hybrid cloud infrastructure, Xi Services, Nutanix Clusters on public cloud, and networking and platform engineering, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was frequently highlighted on stage during large conferences such as the Nutanix annual .NEXT event.

He joined Nutanix, which was founded in 2009, in 2013 as senior director of engineering. Agarwal moved into his senior vice president and general manager role at the San Jose, Calif.-based company in early 2019. Nutanix has yet to name a replacement for Agarwal.

Cyra Richardson

Wind River made three executive appointments: Cyra Richardson as chief product officer, Michael Gale as chief marketing officer and Paul Miller as chief technology officer.

Richardson was most recently general manager for AI and IoT at Microsoft, where she worked for a total of nearly 28 years. In between two tenures at Microsoft, she served as a business and technical leader at Amazon. Gale is the author of digital transformation book, The Digital Helix, and has served in leadership roles at Micron Technology, Monitor Group and PulsePoint Group. Miller was previously vice president of telecom at Wind River and previously served as CTO at Genband.

“Wind River has entered into a new phase of growth, and the opportunity we have as a company has never been bigger as we redefine how software is built and delivered for the intelligent edge,” said Wind River President and CEO Kevin Dallas in a statement. “With these new appointments, we continue to strengthen our world-class team of industry-leading experts, whose collective vision and vast experience are a powerful combination as we drive greater momentum with our customers preparing them for the AI-first and 5G digital world.”

Alex Lo

Kneron, a provider of on-device edge artificial intelligence solutions, appointed former Nvidia executive Alex Lo as chief strategy officer.

Lo was most recently corporate vice president of sales in Taiwan for Nvidia, where he worked for 17 years. He previously worked as a motherboard designer at Asus.

“Alex’s track record of continuous growth and experience in the industry will be key to Kneron’s success. I am confident that Alex will make a significant impact at Kneron and accelerate our trajectory at an exciting time for our business,” Albert Liu, CEO of Kneron, said in a statement. “With Gartner estimating there will be 41.6 billion IoT devices by 2025, Alex will help us to make sure we are partnering with the biggest names in the device industry and ensure Kneron’s chips will be the brain for smart devices.”

Barrett Foster

Matillion, a provider of data transformation services for cloud data warehouses, appointed Barrett Foster as chief revenue officer.

Foster was most recently CRO for work management platform provider Wrike. Prior to that, he was vice president of global sales at content marketing and SEO solutions provider BrightEdge.

“Barrett is a world-class executive with proven experience scaling companies at our stage,” said Matthew Scullion, CEO of Matillion, in a statement. “His history of helping fast-growing organizations maximize sales and customer success strategies, along with his success leading and building teams, make Barrett a perfect fit for Matillion today and going forward. We welcome him to the team, and anticipate his expertise and leadership fueling our next stage of growth.”

Amir Ameri

MariaDB appointed Amir Ameri as chief financial officer. The company also appointed former Kite Pharma CFO Paul Jenkinson as a board member and audit committee chair.

Ameri was most recently CFO at CollabNet, where he worked for more than five years. He has also served in CFO roles at Precise Software Solutions, EnergyConnect, Aperto Networks and Resumix.

“Amir has a strong background of growing SaaS companies and he’ll validate we have the financial process in place for our next phase of business growth,” said Michael Howard, CEO of MariaDB, in a statement. “We’ve also formed a new audit committee that will be led by Paul to ensure we are living up to the highest financial integrity standards followed by public companies, preparing us for our next chapter.”

Charlie Tomeo

Axcient hired former Webroot executive Charlie Tomeo to lead the company’s sales team as its new chief revenue officer, replacing Angus Robertson, who served just over two years as Axcient’s chief revenue officer and chief marketing officer.

Tomeo had worked for 15 years at Webroot, where spent the past four years as vice president of worldwide business sales. Also new at Axcient is Tim Sheahen, who is taking the vice president of U.S. sales role. Sheahan spent almost 19 years at Webroot. He is replacing Michael Goldberg, who has left to pursue new opportunities. Other new sales hires include Phillip Seigenfeld and Jim D’Espinosa.

The big changeover at the top of Axcient’s sales team is part of the natural progression of a smaller company, said David Bennett, CEO of the Denver-based company.

Dan Perovich

Digibee made three appointments: Dan Perovich as solution architect leader, Jason Marchalonis as solution architect and Doug Sabanosh as marketing and demand generation leader for the U.S.

Perovich was most recently a solution architect at New Relic. Marchalonis was previously director of technology services at Bringer. Sabanosh was owner and CEO of The Serket Group.

“Over the course of their careers, Dan, Jason and Doug have each established themselves as experts in their fields and they bring a wealth of experience that will complement our Brazilian-based team,” said Rodrigo Bernardinelli, CEO of Digibee, in a statement. “We are thrilled to expand our team as our client base continues to grow in the U.S.”

Hayder Allebban

NetGain Technologies, a managed services provider for the South Central and Southeastern U.S., appointed former JP Morgan engineer Hayder Allebban as vice president of operations.

Allebban was most recently an engineer for the application security team for JP Morgan Chase & Co. Prior to that, he was an engineer on the cybsersecurity team at General Motors.

“Nearly20 years of technology expertise coupled with his business-minded approach, Allebban is an excellent addition to the NetGain team”, said Tim Burke, CEO of NetGain Technologies, in a statement. “I am excited for the future of the organization, our employees, and our clients as Allebban works to continually improve our service delivery model.”

Brian Sheth

Vista Equity Partners co-founder and President Brian Sheth, who had served on the Datto board since the MSP platform provider was acquired by Vista three years ago, stepped aside from his board role just before an expected $561 million Datto initial public offering.

Sheth, 44, was one of just nine Datto directors that signed the company’s Sept. 29 S-1 IPO filing. An amended S-1 filing on Oct. 14, however, does not include Sheth, who worked at Bain Capital on leveraged buyouts of technology companies before co-founding Vista.

Replacing Sheth as one of the Datto directors is Adrian Dillon, a former top finance executive for Skype and Agilent Technologies, who joined the Datto board in August 2020. Dillon is a member of the Datto Audit Committee.

Art Coviello Jr.

Skout Cybersecurity appointed the former CEO of RSA Security, Art Coviello Jr., to act as an adviser to the company as it looks to harness momentum it has found this year.

As the executive vice president, president, CEO and former executive chairman of RSA Security, Coviello helped drive the company’s growth and revenue to more than $1 billion before retiring in 2015. Under Coviello, the RSA Conference became the most respected, vendor-agnostic event in cybersecurity.

In addition to his role at Skout, Coviello is a venture partner at Rally Ventures, an adviser to ClearSky Security Fund and senior adviser to Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities Group. He is a member of the board of directors of Synchrony Financial, Tenable and several security startups.

Alex Stamos

Bishop Fox, a professional services firm focused on offensive security testing, established an advisory board with the appointments of former Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos and Evan Wolff, who was formerly adviser to senior leadership at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Stamos most recently served as CSO at Facebook. He also served as chief information security officer at Yahoo and co-founded iSEC Partners. Evans is now a partner at international law firm Crowell & Moring. Besides his stint with DHS, he also served as a general counsel and senior geospatial analyst for isciences LLC, vice president and principal of Environmental Protection International, and senior geologist for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“Bishop Fox has made tremendous investments across the board over the last several years to not only propel the company to the next level but to raise the bar and shape the future of security testing,” said Bishop Fox co-founder and CEO Vinnie Liu in a statement. “We’ve attracted the best of the best in the security industry—from employing seasoned, key executives, elite security researchers and testers, to appointing distinguished, seasoned security advisors such as Alex and Evan.”