Channel Executive Leaves Oracle, Replacement Named

Oracle confirmed Thursday that Doug Kennedy, senior vice president of worldwide alliances and channels, has left the company. An internal memo about Kennedy's departure was circulated throughout the company Wednesday. Information about where Kennedy is headed was unavailable.

Kennedy's departure comes just two months after Rauline Ochs, senior vice president of North American alliances and channels, left to become executive vice president of sales and marketing at Seattle-based Safeco Insurance. Oracle has yet to fill Ochs' position.

Oracle has named Judson Althoff to fill Kennedy's post, taking the title of vice president of worldwide alliances and channels. He reports directly to Oracle president Charles Phillips. Althoff is responsible for development and execution of Oracle's alliances and channels strategies and programs, including the Oracle PartnerNetwork program, and for managing Oracle's relationships with its 19,500 business partners.

Until now Althoff, a nine-year executive at Oracle, has served as vice president of global platform and distribution sales and the head of Oracle's Technology Channel Program Office.

One of Althoff's most recent tasks has been overseeing Oracle's VAD Remarketer initiative through which the company is trying to increase sales of its database and middleware products to small businesses in a bid to compete more aggressively with Microsoft. Under the program VARs can acquire Oracle software directly from distributors such as Tech Data and Ingram Micro for resale without having to join the Oracle PartnerNetwork.

Althoff earlier served as Oracle's director of E-Business Solutions.