HP ProCurve Shuffles Executives

Effective October 1, Darla Sommerville is taking on the position of director of operations, a role in which the 17-year HP veteran will oversee demand planning and matching processes worldwide. She previously served as vice president and general manger of ProCurve Americas.

She will be replaced by Wenceslao Lada, who previously served as vice president and general manager of ProCurve EMEA. In his new role, Lada will oversee sales, operational supply chain, marketing, product portfolio management, service and support and finance in the Americas.

"This new organizational structure will ensure that ProCurve continues to meet the increased worldwide demand for our products while maintaining our industry-leading service and support," said John McHugh, vice president and worldwide general manager of ProCurve Networking by HP, in a statement.

The changes come as the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company is preparing for the launch of a new channel program for its ProCurve partners.

The new ProCurve Partner Program, unveiled this week and set to launch Nov. 1, replaces HP's high-end ProCurve Elite and lower-end ProCurve ProPartner programs. It adds three new partner categories and enables top-level partners to buy through distribution if they so choose.