30 Notable IT Executive Moves: June 2023

Avaya, 8x8, Salesforce, Oracle, Leidos and Simeio were among the tech companies to make executive hires during June 2023.

A chief product officer at Avaya. 8x8’s new chief revenue officer at 8x8. And a new chief marketing officer at Salesforce.

Omar Javaid, formerly of Qualcomm; Lisa Martin, formerly of Twilio; and Ariel Kelman, formerly of Fireblocks, are just some of the executives hired last month.

[RELATED: 30 Notable IT Executive Moves: May 2023]

June 2023 Executive Hires

Oracle, Leidos and Simeio were among the other tech giants to make executive hires during the month as companies invest in resources for sales, technology and partners.

Those executives were:

*Victor Jimenez, formerly of HCL Technologies

*Amy Davis, formerly of the National Security Agency

*Andy Wu, formerly of Tanium

All the hiring comes despite multiple tech giants cutting their employee rosters amid growing inflation, the possibility of a recession in the near future and tightening IT budgets after high demand for technology during the height of the pandemic.

Sumo Logic, New Relic, Anaplan and HashiCorp are among the tech businesses to announce or conduct layoffs in recent days.

Read on for more of the 30 notable IT executive moves from June 2023.

Omar Javaid

In June, Omar Javaid joined Avaya as chief product officer.

Javaid came to the Morristown, N.J.-based cloud-based unified communications vendor after more than a year with Qualcomm, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Qualcomm with the title of senior vice president and general manager.

He previously worked at Vonage for about six years, according to his LinkedIn account. He left in 2021 with the title of president for the company’s Nexmo communications application programming interface (API) platform.

Avaya has about 9,000 worldwide channel partners, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Victor Jimenez

Victor Jimenez returned to Oracle in June as group vice president of energy and utilities applications consulting, according to his LinkedIn account.

Jimenez left Oracle in 2012 after about two years with the Austin, Texas-based database and cloud products vendor. He left with the title of senior director of utilities industry strategy.

Before returning to Oracle, he worked at HCL Technologies for more than a year, according to his LinkedIn account. He left the company as a utilities executive. In this role, he was “responsible for relationship and business ownership for a portfolio of utility clients” and worked to “define strategy, solutions, partnerships, and thought leadership for” the utility industry.

His resume includes less than a year with Slalom as an energy and utilities leader. He left the firm in 2021. He spent more than eight years with Capgemini, leaving in 2021 with the title of utilities executive.

Arrian Mehis

Innovative Solutions hired Arrian Mehis in June as chief revenue officer, according to a company statement.

In this role, he “will oversee the revenue organization, including solutions architecture, business development, direct sales, and marketing.”

Mehis joined the Rochester, N.Y.-based Amazon Web Services (AWS) solution provider after more than seven years with AWS, according to his LinkedIn account. He left AWS with the title of managing director of U.S. services sales and delivery.

In this role, he led a “300-person sales, delivery, partner, and operations organization (1,900 matrixed) that works with enterprise and digital native clients to differentiate and accelerate business outcomes using AWS as an enabler” and managed “$665 million bookings / $453 million revenue business (30% WW share) that influences multiyear platform contracts of up to $1B with platform growth to $24B+ ARR,” according to his LinkedIn account.

His resume includes about five years with Rackspace, leaving in 2016 with the title of general manager of the global private cloud business, according to his LinkedIn account. Mehis worked at Dell for about 12 years, leaving the vendor in 2011 with the title of services client partner for large enterprises in the Americas.

Andy Wu

Andy Wu joined Simeio in June, taking on the role of vice president of professional services, according to his LinkedIn account.

Wu came to the Alpharetta, Ga.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 – after about two years with Tanium. He left Tanium with the title of senior director of enterprise services.

In this role, he led the engineering professional services practice across the Americas, according to his LinkedIn account. Among his accomplishments at Tanium were growing the “ProServe practice from infancy to 150+ of worlds finest engineers tackling the most complex customer demands across $650+M ACV portfolio” and driving “new deal signings and SW renewals totaling $200M+.”

His resume includes about 20 years with IBM. He left the vendor in 2020 with the title of executive director of IBM Cloud managed services.

Amy Davis

In June, Amy Davis joined Leidos as senior vice president and chief security officer, according to her LinkedIn account.

In this role, she will lead, manage and direct the corporate security organization and “oversee the company’s compliance with U.S. and foreign government national security standards,” according to a company statement.

Davis came to the Reston, Va.-based company – No. 11 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after about 20 years with the National Security Agency, according to the statement. She left the NSA with the title of deputy chief for the Office of Security and Counterintelligence.

In this role, “she led the team charged with protecting civilian, military and contractor personnel worldwide.”

Lisa Martin

Lisa Martin became 8x8’s new chief revenue officer in June.

Martin joined the Campbell, Calif.-based unified communications vendor after about two years with Twilio, according to her LinkedIn account. She left the company with the title of vice president of North America go-to-market (GTM) for Twilio Flex.

Her resume includes more than six years with Genesys. She left the company in 2021 with the title of vice president of sales for technology, independent software vendor (ISV), communications, media and entertainment.

Mukund Madhugiri

Cisco hired Mukund Madhugiri last month as its vice president of engineering productivity, according to his LinkedIn account.

Madhugiri joined the San Jose, Calif.-based networking giant after more than five years with Google, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Google with the title of director.

His resume includes more than three years with GoDaddy. He left GoDaddy in 2016 with the title of vice president of engineering.

About 90 percent of Cisco’s overall sales come through the channel, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Monica Koedel

ServiceNow hired Monica Koedel in June as its new vice president of product portfolio management, according to her LinkedIn account.

Koedel joined the Santa Clara, Calif.-based digital workflows vendor after more than 16 years with Cisco, according to her LinkedIn account. She left the company with the title of senior director of digital customer experience.

In this role, she oversaw a team of “developers and digital marketers with a mission to design and deliver a fully-connected experience for customers and partners across their entire relationship lifecycle with Cisco,” according to the vendor’s website.

She started at Cisco in 2007 as a manager of Americas services distribution marketing.

ServiceNow has about 2,000 worldwide channel partners, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Ariel Kelman

Ariel Kelman returned to Salesforce in June, taking on the role of president and chief marketing officer, according to his LinkedIn account.

He succeeds Sarah Franklin, who is now president and chairwoman of Salesforce Advisory, according to her LinkedIn account.

Kelman worked at the San Francisco-based customer relationship management (CRM) tools vendor for more than six years, leaving in 2011 with the title of vice president of platform product marketing, according to his LinkedIn account.

His resume includes less than a year as CMO at Fireblocks. Kelman also worked at Oracle for more than two years as CMO and executive vice president, leaving the vendor in 2022. He worked at AWS for more than eight years, leaving in 2020 with the title of vice president of worldwide marketing.

Asif Jilani

Asif Jilani returned to Workday in June, taking on the role of vice president of API partnerships and strategy, according to his LinkedIn account.

Jilani previously worked at the Pleasanton, Calif.-based human capital management (HCM) tools vendor for more than nine years, leaving in 2018 with the title of regional sales director for New England large enterprise clients, according to his LinkedIn account.

He worked at Slack for about five years, leaving this year with the title of area vice president of sales. Salesforce bought Slack in 2021.

About 25 percent of Workday’s overall sales come through the channel, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

George Hope

George Hope started at Infoblox in June as its vice president of Americas partner sales.

Hope joined the Santa Clara, Calif.-based network protection vendor after about six years with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, according to his LinkedIn account. He left HPE with the title of senior vice president and worldwide head of partner sales.

He joined HPE with the 2017 acquisition of SimpliVity, where Hope had worked for three years prior. Hope’s resume includes more than 16 years with EMC, according to his LinkedIn account. He left the company in 2014 with the title of senior director of global channels for the Isilon division.

About 95 percent of Infoblox’s overall sales come through the channel, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Scott Fanning

In June, Palo Alto Networks hired Scott Fanning as a vice president of product management, according to his LinkedIn account.

In this role, he will “help drive Cloud Delivered Security Services to customers protecting their digital lives,” according to his LinkedIn account.

Fanning joined the Santa Clara, Calif.-based security vendor after about two years with CrowdStrike. He left CrowdStrike with the title of senior director of product management. In this role, he helped with “he product strategy and execution of CrowdStrike’s cloud security portfolio.

His resume includes about three years with Citrix, leaving in 2021 with the title of senior director of product management for security and software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN).

He worked at McAfee for about two years, leaving in 2018 with the title of director of product management for cloud security. And he worked at Cisco for about 17 years, leaving in 2016 with the title of director of product management for security, access routing and mobility, according to his LinkedIn account.

He attained the rank of master corporal in the Canadian Armed Forces, according to his LinkedIn account.

Mike Williams

Boomi brought on a new senior vice president of sales for North America with the hiring of Mike Williams last month, according to his LinkedIn account.

Williams came to the Chesterbrook, Pa.-based connectivity and automation platform vendor after about four years with MuleSoft, according to his LinkedIn account. He left the company with an SVP title. In this role, he “managed a team of 200, including 60 salespeople and 9 managers” in the health care and life sciences vertical.

His resume includes about three years with Informatica. He left the company in 2018 with the title of area vice president.

John Rotta

Splunk has a new group vice president with the hiring of John Rotta last month, according to his LinkedIn account.

Rotta joined the San Francisco-based cybersecurity vendor after less than a year with Itential, according to his LinkedIn account. He left the company with the title of vice president of sales.

His resume includes more than 22 years with BMC Software. He left BMC in 2021 with the title of area vice president of security sales and services.

Splunk has about 2,400 worldwide channel partners, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Elie Bitton

Elie Bitton joined Zscaler last month, taking on the role of senior vice president of strategic development, according to his LinkedIn account.

Bitton came to the San Jose, Calif.-based security vendor after about two years with Netskope. He left the company with the title of vice president of product management.

His resume includes about four years with Palo Alto Networks, leaving the company in 2020 with the title of vice president of product management for Prisma Access, according to his LinkedIn account.

He also worked at Fortinet for about eight years on and off, leaving in 2016 with the title of vice president of product management for virtualization and management.

Zscaler has about 2,000 worldwide channel partners, about 900 of them in North America, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Myke Lyons

In June, Myke Lyons joined Snyk as its chief information security officer, according to his LinkedIn account.

Lyons came to the Boston-based security vendor after more than three years with Collibra, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Collibra with the CISO title.

He previously worked at ServiceNow for more than seven years. Lyons left the company in 2019 with the title of head of security strategy for the security business unit.

Anthony Graziano

Anthony Graziano became senior vice president of marketing at D&H Distributing, according to a company statement.

In this role, he “will oversee all aspects of D&H’s marketing strategies to support and optimize the growth trajectories of D&H’s partners” and “expand its presence in the channel, nurture its existing partner relationships, and engage new audiences with dynamic, proven programs and resources,” according to the statement.

Graziano came to the Harrisburg, Pa.-based distributor after more than a year with Logitech, according to his LinkedIn account. He left with the title of worldwide head of channel marketing.

His resume includes more than 19 years with Tech Data and its successor after the distributor’s 2021 merger with Synnex. Graziano left TD Synnex in 2021 with the title of vice president of vendor marketing for the Americas.

D&H has about 25,000 North American channel partners, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Eric Gieszl

Lenovo hired Eric Gieszl last month as North American Solution and Sales Leader for its Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG).

Gieszl joined the China-based computer maker after more than nine years on and off with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, according to his LinkedIn account. He left HPE this year with the title of U.S. senior director of sales for Greenlake.

His resume includes more than a year each with DDN Storage and Oracle. He left DDN in 2019 with the title of senior director of the central U.S. and South America. He left Oracle in 2017 with the title of area vice president of sales and innovation senior leader.

Lenovo has about 100,000 worldwide channel partners, about 30,000 of them in North America, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Jay Gore

Jay Gore joined Persistent Systems in June as a vice president, according to his LinkedIn account.

Gore came to the India-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 MSP 500 – after about 20 years with Microsoft, according to his LinkedIn account.

He left Microsoft with the title of industry solutions area delivery leader for commercial enterprises.

Robert Krajewski

General Datatech (GDT) hired Robert Krajewski last month, giving him the title of vice president of sales operations, according to his LinkedIn account.

Krajewski joined the Dallas-based company – No. 97 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after about 11 years with NTT and its subsidiary Dimension Data, according to his LinkedIn account.

He left NTT with the title of senior sales operations director.

Scott Ward

Scott Ward returned to Compucom in June, taking on the role of chief business officer, according to a company statement.

In this role, he will lead “partner alliances and professional services” and grow the “product solution business through strong OEM and partner relationships as well as increasing professional services sales and engagements among new and current customers,” according to the statement.

Ward previously worked at the Fort Mill, S.C.-based company – No. 53 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – for more than 25 years. He left the company in 2016 with the title of senior vice president of sales, according to his LinkedIn account.

Before returning to Compucom, Ward worked at Computacenter for more than five years, according to his LinkedIn account. He left with the title of executive vice president.

He also worked at Zones for about a year, leaving in 2017 with the title of senior vice president and general manager.

Ziva Hallaji

Ziva Hallaji joined Wipro last month, taking on the role of vice president and global head of the Salesforce practice, according to her LinkedIn account.

Hallaji came to the India-based company – No. 15 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after about five years with Salesforce, according to her LinkedIn account. She left Salesforce with the title of regional vice president for professional services.

Her resume includes more than a year with Booz Allen Hamilton. She left the firm in 2015 with the title of Salesforce practice director for the strategic innovation group.

Amrit Chaudhuri

In June, ConvergeOne named Amrit Chaudhuri as its president of products and markets, according to a company statement.

In this role, he will “drive strategy and vision of the entire product portfolio and how the company goes to market both directly with its product offerings and with best-of-breed technology partners,” according to the statement.

Chaudhuri joined the Bloomington, Minn.-based company – No. 35 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after about two years with 8x8, according to his LinkedIn account. He left 8x8 with the title of executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

His resume includes about three years with RingCentral. He left the company in 2021 with the title of CMO.

Mohanakrishnan Unnikrishnan

Mohanakrishnan Unnikrishnan joined Virtusa in June as a senior vice president, according to his LinkedIn account.

In this role, he will serve as “squad Leader for Apps Transformation and Modernization on the Cloud,” which includes “offering design, implementation and product management” and “building on the AWS, GCP and Azure partner ecosystem.”

Unnikrishnan came to the Southborough, Mass.-based company – No. 39 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after less than a year with Accenture, according to his LinkedIn account. He left the firm with the title of associate director of software engineering for the Cloud First offering.

He also worked at AWS for less than a year, leaving in 2022 with the title of senior customer solutions manager. His resume includes more than eight years with Mindtree, leaving in 2022 with the title of global head of digital transformation and intelligent automation.

Terry Hackelman

Last month, Terry Hackelman returned to SDI Presence as its senior vice president of Western state, local and education (SLED) clients, according to a company statement.

In this role, he “will lead all of SDI’s SLED West business, including municipal utilities west of the Rockies,” including “sales, business development, strategy, as well as delivery of service.” He will support “government IT systems, cloud-based systems, cybersecurity, and ServiceNow business management,” according to the statement.

Hackelman previously worked at the Chicago-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 MSP 500 – and NextLevel Information Technology for about 24 years, according to his LinkedIn account. SDI bought NextLevel in 2017.

Before his return, he worked as IT director for the city of Manhattan Beach, Calif., for about three years, according to his LinkedIn account.

Mike Sullivan

AireSpring hired Mike Sullivan in June as vice president of channel sales, according to a company statement.

Sullivan came to the Clearwater, Fla.-based MSP and unified communications vendor after about two years with Windstream, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Windstream with the title of channel sales vice president.

His resume includes about 15 years with Fusion Connect and Birch Communications. Fusion bought Birch in 2018. Sullivan left Fusion in 2021 with the title of regional vice president of channel sales.

AireSpring has about 2,500 channel partners in North America, with 100 percent of overall sales through the channel, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.

Sanjiv Agarwal

Sanjiv Agarwal joined Capgemini in June as vice president and global semiconductor industry leader, according to his LinkedIn account.

In this role, he will focus “on growing industry relevance by partnering with ecosystem companies, creating industry leading trends, and driving first-of-a-kind (FOAK) solutions to accelerate TTM for customers,” according to his LinkedIn account.

Agarwal came to the France-based company – No. 3 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after more than two years with Wipro. He left the company with the title of semiconductor and components industry leader. In this role, he led “a cross-functional team of Account Executives, Solution Architects, and global delivery teams to improve customer satisfaction (CSAT and NPS score) by delivering consistent and predictable outcomes,” according to his LinkedIn account.

His resume includes more than 10 years with IBM, leaving in 2021 with the title of industry clients leader for IBM global markets and the banking industry.

Benjamin Kotovic

In June, Benjamin Kotovic came to Xebia as a senior vice president of business development, according to his LinkedIn account.

He joined the Atlanta-based MSP and consultancy after less than a year with Globant. He left the company with the title of senior client partner.

His resume includes about five years with Formidable, according to his LinkedIn account. He left the company in a limited capacity with the title of business development adviser after serving as a vice president of business development, according to his LinkedIn account.

Derald Wise

Derald Wise joined Globant last month, taking on the role of vice president and senior client partner for games, according to his LinkedIn account.

In this role, he manages “a portfolio of AAA Games customers through deal cycle including proposals, structuring, support, and execution” and advises “organizations on current gaming, simulation, and immersive technologies” including virtual reality, augmented reality and extended reality, according to his LinkedIn account.

Wise came to the San Francisco-based digital transformation consultancy after about a year with AWS. He left AWS with the title of professional services (ProServe) customer practice manager for digital native business (DNB), independent software vendors (ISV) and games.

In this role, he worked “with Epic Games through deal cycle including proposals, deal structuring, deal support, and execution” and advised “clients on current and emerging technologies in the games and simulation space,” according to his LinkedIn account.

His resume includes less than a year with EPAM Systems, leaving in 2022 with the title of director of account management for gaming and client partner. He also worked at Booz Allen Hamilton for about 11 years, leaving in 2021 with the title of senior lead technologist and immersive technology and simulations consultant.

Wise is a U.S. Army veteran, leaving in 2007, according to his LinkedIn account.

Rob Gregg

In June, Rob Gregg became vice president of revenue cycle operations at Guidehouse, according to his LinkedIn account.

Gregg joined the Washington, D.C.-based MSP after about two years with Change Healthcare, according to his LinkedIn account. Gregg left the company with the title of vice president of physician revenue cycle services and client management.

His resume includes about nine years with AGS Health, leaving the company in 2021 with the title of senior vice president of client services.