The 20 Biggest IT Executive Moves Of 2024
There were major executives moves from companies such as AWS, Intel, Microsoft, Wipro, Bluum and Cyderes.
This year saw leadership changes across IT solution providers and vendors with a variety of industry and technological specialties as the channel readies itself for the artificial intelligence era, continued demand for cybersecurity and other technology trends that prove the need for the channel and promise to bring in plenty of sales.
Some of these CEOs came over from rival organizations to finally get a chance at the top spot. Others logged in years with their solution provider or vendor, learning the business inside and out before ascending to the ultimate leadership role.
Executives with vendor giants Amazon Web Services, Intel and TD Synnex as well as influential solution providers Wipro, Bluum and Cyderes are among the listmakers.
To determine this list, CRN gave the most weight to CEOs or executives whose roles would have deep and wide influence on the channel–and to the new CEOs of solution providers exemplifying what it means to be a partner amid fast and revolutionary technological changes for organizations across different verticals.
[RELATED: 30 Notable IT Executive Moves: November 2024]
2024 Executive Moves
In 2024, employers continued to navigate return-to-office and work-from-home policies even this long since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Executives contended with price inflation that appears to be moderating–the consumer price index hit a 2024 year-over-year high of 3.5 percent change in March and fell to 2.7 percent in November, according to NBC News.
The year saw multiple companies resort to layoffs to contend with changes in business strategy and new customer buying habits after the pandemic–AMD, Intel, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco and Ingram Micro were among the tech giants to announce headcount cuts in 2024.
The multiple promotions to a company’s top spot was reflected in a trend reported by LinkedIn, which said in October that a 6 percent increase year over year in internal mobility–employees taking new positions at the same company, even lateral ones–reflected companies looking to “accelerate organizational agility, employee engagement and retention, and career development.”
And in 2025, these executives will navigate not only AI and cybersecurity but the new regulations in the U.S. and even abroad from groups such as the European Union, giving solution providers the chance to truly earn their roles as “trusted advisers.”
Time will tell what a new administration in the White House under returning President Donald Trump means for the channel–with Trump likely favoring deregulation and more of a hands-off approach to mergers and acquisitions.
He’s already gathered multiple advisers with ties to the tech industry including Elon Musk and David Sacks. Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, also served as a protege of PayPal and venture capital luminary Peter Thiel.
Read on for CRN’s ranking of the top executive moves in the IT channel for 2024.
20. Chris Day
This year, Chris Day assumed the CEO role at ScalePad, the vendor he founded in 2015, succeeding Dan Wensley.
Day now leads the Vancouver, British Columbia-based MSP tools vendor after eight years as executive chairman and chief product officer.
With about 12,000 MSP partners today, he plans to double subscription revenue over the next two years.
Day’s resume includes founding IT Glue in 2013 and leading it as CEO until its sale to Kaseya in 2018. He also founded solution provider Fully Managed in 2002 and led it as CEO until 2013, according to Day’s LinkedIn account. Telus bought Fully Managed in 2022.
According to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs, 100 percent of ScalePad’s overall sales come through indirect channel and alliance relationships.
19. Michael George
Michael George became CEO of Syncro in February, succeeding former CEO Emily Glass. She led the vendor for about three years.
George came to the Seattle-based remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools vendor after about two years as CEO of Invicti, according to his LinkedIn account. He held the position as CEO of Boston-based vendor Continuum for eight years and drove revenue by more than 500 percent.
Syncro has a base of more than 4,000 MSP partners, according to the vendor.
18. Hamilton Yu
Hamilton Yu became NexusTek’s CEO in April, succeeding Bill Wosilius.
Yu joined the Greenwood Village, Colo.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2024 MSP 500 – after more than seven years with IBM and Taos. Yu led Taos as CEO starting in 2016 and led the company to its 2021 acquisition by IBM.
He left IBM with the title of senior partner and Americas platform engineering services practice leader, according to his LinkedIn account.
His resume includes about six years with Nuance, leaving the company in 2016 with the title of vice president of the enterprise division.
17. Mark Clayman
Mark Clayman received the top job at Success Computer Consulting in October.
Clayman came to the Golden Valley, Minn.-based company, a member of CRN’s 2024 MSP 500, after about 17 years on and off with Navisite and Surebridge.
He left Navisite with the CEO title after its acquisition by Accenture. Navisite acquired Surebridge in 2004. He worked at TriCore Solutions for about five years, leaving as CEO when Rackspace acquired the company.
In October, Success Computer Consulting merged with Texas-based MSP Netrio.
16. Russell Reeder
In October, Russell Reeder took on the role of CEO of the merged ATSG and Evolve IP.
Reeder came to the New York-based company, No. 177 on CRN’s 2024 Solution Provider 500, according to his LinkedIn account. He previously worked at Netrix Global for about two years as CEO.
His resume includes about two years as CEO of Infrascale, leaving in 2022, and two years as CEO of OVHcloud U.S. He left the cloud company in 2018.
“One of the main products we’ll focus on is desktop-as-a-service (DaaS), which has been gaining traction, especially as companies seek reliable and flexible IT solutions,” Reeder told CRN in an interview.
The combined company will employ about 1,000 employees and serve about 950,000 users across a portfolio of 1,700 global customers.
15. Dana Berg
Dana Berg became CEO of SADA this year, succeeding CEO Tony Safoian, who retired from the company and is the son of SADA co-founders Hovig and Annie Safoian.
Berg joined the company in 2018 as COO after about four years with Hitachi Consulting, according to his LinkedIn account. Hitachi Consulting merged with Hitachi Vantara in 2020.
The new CEO plans “to further embrace the brand that we have with (parent company) Insight and to further exploit the unique capabilities that we have at SADA,” he told CRN in an interview. “We're only beginning to scratch the surface, and now all efforts will be on that endeavor as we go into the next fiscal year and beyond.”
Berg promises customers that he will stick to the mission of serving as Google’s most dominant solution provider while navigating SADA through new ownership and a new technological era of artificial intelligence, infrastructure and security.
Insight–No. 17 on CRN’s 2024 Solution Provider 500– bought SADA in December 2023. In a statement to CRN, Dee Burger, North America president for Insight, said that he is “excited that Dana Berg will continue to lead our Google Cloud business into the future as a key piece of our ambition to become the leading solutions integrator and a multicloud powerhouse.”
14. Chris Schueler
In October, Chris Schueler took over the top spot at Cyderes after the departure of “Shark Tank” star Robert Herjavec.
Schueler had most recently served as CEO of Simeio, an identity access management platform vendor, for the past four years. Earlier stints included executive roles at companies including Trustwave and IBM.
Schueler said in the news release that Cyderes is “poised for tremendous global impact” looking ahead and that he plans to focus on innovation within new areas of cybersecurity.
Cyderes was formed in 2022 through the merger of Herjavec Group and Fishtech Group, and the combined company had been led by Herjavec, founder of the company of the same name. The merger was orchestrated by private equity firm Apax Partners.
Toronto-based Cyderes is No. 93 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024 and has offices in Kansas City, Mo.; Rogers, Ark.; Orlando, Fla.; Reading, U.K.; and Bangalore, India.
13. Derrek Hallock
Derrek Hallock became CEO of Bluum in February, succeeding Erez Pikar, the solution provider’s CEO of about six years.
Hallock worked at Auburn, Wash.-based solution provider Zones for about 10 years, according to his LinkedIn account. He joined in 2013 as senior vice president of partner and product marketing and became COO in 2017. He added the president title in 2020.
Hallock’s resume includes about seven years with Tech Data, leaving the IT distributor in 2013 with the title of vice president of marketing. Tech Data merged with Synnex in 2021.
Bluum, a Phoenix-based top-ranking solution provider in the education space that partners with Google, Microsoft and Intel, is No. 63 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500
Bluum has more than 5,000 customer accounts, more than 60,000 types of computer products available and more than 200 account executives in the U.S. and Canada, according to the company’s website.
12. Srini Pallia
In April, Srini Pallia ascended to the role of CEO and managing director of Wipro, replacing Thierry Delaporte, who served as CEO for four years.
Pallia has worked for more than 30 years at the India-based company – No. 15 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500. He previously served as Wipro’s CEO of the Americas for about three years.
He joined Wipro in 1992 as a product manager, according to his LinkedIn account.
Pallia, in a LinkedIn post, wrote that he has seen Wipro’s “remarkable resilience and adaptability,” but “there’s a lot of work still to be done ahead of us.
“As we enter a new era fueled by rapid technological progress, I am energized by the possibilities ahead for our company and our industry,” he wrote.
11. Vishal Rao
Vishal Rao became the new CEO of Skyhigh Security in March, succeeding Gee Rittenhouse, who led Skyhigh for two years.
Rao came to the San Jose, Calif.-based security vendor after about eight years with Snow Software, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Snow with the title of president and CEO.
His resume includes leadership positions at Cloudera and Splunk during the companies’ initial public offerings (IPOs). He left Cloudera in 2018 after about three years with the company. He left Splunk in 2015 after about five years with the company.
He left Cloudera with the title of senior video president of field operations and Splunk with the title of vice president of worldwide field sales, according to his LinkedIn account.
About 99 percent of Skyhigh’s overall sales come through indirect channel and alliance relationships, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.
10. Marc van Zadelhoff
Marc van Zadelhoff became CEO of Mimecast in January, succeeding co-founder and CEO Peter Bauer amid growing demand for security services from solution providers.
Van Zadelhoff joined the London-based security vendor after more than three years with Devo, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Devo with the CEO title.
His resume includes about a year with LogMeIn as chief operating officer, according to his LinkedIn. He left LogMeIn in 2020.
Van Zadelhoff also cofounded IBM Security and served as general manager and CEO of the $2.5 billion, 8,000-person business unit, according to a Mimecast statement on his hiring.
About 95 percent of Mimecast’s revenue is from solution providers, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.
9. Sridhar Ramaswamy
Snowflake, a leader in data analytics tools with potential to become a trailblazer in the AI wars, named a new CEO in February – Sridhar Ramaswamy.
Previous CEO Frank Slootman retired after getting Snowflake’s top role in 2019.
The Bozeman, Mont.-based data cloud vendor promoted Ramaswamy from the role of senior vice president of AI, according to a company statement. He joined Snowflake in 2023 with the acquisition of Neeva, which Ramaswamy co-founded in 2019.
His resume includes about 16 years with Google, leaving the vendor in 2018 with the title of SVP of ads and commerce, according to his LinkedIn account.
According to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs, Snowflake is working to increase the overall percentage of company revenue that comes through the channel and improve partner technical skills.
8. Olivier Blum
Schneider Electric promoted Olivier Blum to CEO in November, succeeding Peter Herweck, who was fired by the vendor’s board of directors one year and nine months into his role as CEO.
Blum has worked at the France-based industrial technology vendor for more than 30 years, according to his LinkedIn account. He takes over Schneider as AI energy consumption takes center stage amid growing use of the emerging technology.
Titles he’s previously held at Schneider include executive vice president of the energy management business and chief strategy and sustainability officer.
According to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs, Schneider is working to improve partner profitability, increase the amount of recurring revenue going through partners and increase the amount of net new accounts coming through partners.
The vendor has more than 1,000 system integrator partners across 67 countries, according to Schneider.
7. Nadav Zafrir
Nadav Zafrir’s transition into the CEO role at Check Point Software Technologies finished in December, with Zafrir replacing co-founder Gil Shwed, Check Point’s leader for more than 30 years.
Before becoming the Israel-based cybersecurity vendor’s CEO, Zafrir spent 10 years with venture group Team8, according to his LinkedIn account. He co-founded the group and served as managing partner.
At Team8, Zafrir was involved in building 17 cybersecurity companies and served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for 25 years.
According to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs, Check Point is working to increase the overall percentage of company revenue that comes through the channel, improve partner profitability and increase the amount of net new accounts coming through partners.
6. Manny Rivelo
ConnectWise’s new CEO Manny Rivelo started in September, succeeding CEO of five years Jason Magee and tackling the unification of all of the vendor’s MSP software tools.
Rivelo joined the Tampa, Fla.-based MSP tools platform after about three years as CEO of Forcepoint, according to his LinkedIn account.
His resume includes about two years as chief customer officer of Arista Networks, leaving in 2020. And he served as CEO of AppViewX for about two years, leaving in 2018, according to his LinkedIn account.
ConnectWise has about 44,000 channel partners worldwide, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.
5. Rodney Clark
In January, Rodney Clark started his new role as global channel chief and senior vice president of partnerships and small and medium business at Cisco–with a controversial tenure as Microsoft channel chief still fresh in partners’ minds.
Clark joined the San Jose, Calif.-based networking vendor after about a year with Johnson Controls, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Johnson with the title of chief commercial officer.
He arrives at Cisco at a time when the networking giant seeks to further enhance its business in cybersecurity with the Splunk acquisition and with the AI era possibly fueling greater interest in Cisco’s wares. Clark will play a major role in the new opportunities that come to Cisco partners.
His resume includes more than 24 years with Microsoft. He left the tech giant in 2022 with the title of corporate vice president of global channel sales and channel chief.
Clark was at the helm of Microsoft’s massive channel partner program when the vendor rolledout its new commerce experience (NCE) and a 20 percent premium on certain subscriptions, a move that angered some long-time Microsoft partners.
4. Scott Chasin
In May, Scott Chasin took the top spot at Pax8, replacing John Street, who founded the distributor 12 years ago. Chasin is set to guide the distributor known for disrupting the channel with a cloud-first approach in a new time of disruption with mass AI adoption on the horizon.
Chasin previously served as CTOr of the Greenwood Village, Colo.-based IT distributor, according to his LinkedIn account. He held the CTO title for more than two years.
Pax8 has more than 30,000 channel partners worldwide and more than 23,000 in North America, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.
3. Patrick Zammit
Patrick Zammit started in September as CEO of TD Synnex. Zammit succeeded Rich Hume, CEO for the last six years, as TD navigates a new world of IT distribution in the age of AI, an upcoming AI PC refresh cycle likely to be buoyed by Windows 10 end of support in October and a time when vendors such as Microsoft are pushing more channel resources to indirect providers.
Zammit has been with the Clearwater, Fla.-based IT distributor since 2017, when TD’s predecessor, Tech Data, acquired Avnet, according to his LinkedIn account. He previously served as chief operating officer of TD Synnex.
According to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs, TD was working to increase the amount of recurring revenue going through partners and net new accounts coming through partners.
2. Pat Gelsinger
Coming just before the end of 2024, one of the largest semiconductor vendors in the world saw the departure of its CEO of nearly four years, Pat Gelsinger, in favor of two interim co-CEOs.
CFO David Zinsner and Client Computing Group General Manager Michelle Johnston Holthaus became the interim co-CEOs, and time will tell how long they navigate one of the biggest providers of chips as AI takes over the world.
Holthaus, who was previously head of Intel’s Sales and Marketing Group, also serves in the newly created role as CEO of Intel Products, a group that consists of the company’s Client Computing Group, Data Center and AI Group and Network and Edge Group.
Intel appointed Gelsinger to replace Bob Swan as Intel’s CEO in January 2021 as the company was attempting to regain technology leadership and recover from manufacturing struggles that resulted in product delays.
At the time, it marked a grand return for Gelsinger, who started his career at Intel and held several top executive roles, including as its first chief technology officer, until he left the company in 2009. He then went to serve as president and COO of EMC, now owned by Dell Technologies, and afterwards as CEO of VMware, now owned by Broadcom, for eight years.
A little more than a month after Gelsinger became Intel’s CEO, he revealed his ambitious comeback plan, which involved a new strategy called IDM 2.0.
However, Intel’s financial performance suffered at times under Gelsinger's leadership, including in recent quarters, in part because of rising competition in the CPU market from AMD as well as companies designing Arm-based chips such as Amazon Web Services, Ampere Computing and Apple.
Intel has also faced significant competitive pressure from Nvidia plus a cooling market after the COVID-19 pandemic created high demand for PC and server chips.
According to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs, Intel was working to add more qualified partners.
1. Matt Garman
Arguably the biggest executive change in the IT world in 2024 was Matt Garman succeeding Adam Selipsky as CEO of Amazon Web Services, widely regarded as the largest cloud vendor and a force to be reckoned with as tech enters the AI era.
Garman officially started as Amazon Web Services CEO on June 3. He previously served as the Seattle-based cloud giant’s senior vice president of AWS sales, marketing and global services, according to his LinkedIn account.
He joined AWS in 2006 as a project manager for software development for AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). He worked his way up the ranks at AWS for 17 years, including vice president of AWS Compute Services, then was appointed SVP of AWS sales, marketing and global services in 2020.
Selpsky, meanwhile, led AWS for about three years as CEO and worked at AWS for about 15 years.
He was hired as CEO of AWS in 2021 after its former CEO Andy Jassy was promoted to CEO of parent company Amazon. Selipsky helped increase sales to a $100 billion annual run rate and drove innovation, particularly around AI.
Selipsky was one of the first vice presidents AWS hired back in 2005. He spent 11 years leading AWS sales, marketing and support before leaving to become CEO of Tableau. He left Tableau in 2021 to rejoin AWS as CEO.
AWS has more than 130,000 partners worldwide, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.