Intel Loses Data Center And Public Sector Sales Leaders

The decision to leave by Uday Yadati, who led Intel’s data center, AI, networking and telecommunications sales, came ‘unexpectedly,’ according to a memo seen by CRN. Intel’s public sector sales leader, Cameron Chehreh, announced his departure on LinkedIn.

Intel is losing the sales leaders of its data center and public sector businesses as CEO Lip-Bu Tan pushes for major reforms to save the beleaguered chipmaker, CRN has learned.

The decision to leave by Uday Yadati, who was vice president and general manager of Intel’s data center, AI, networking and telecommunications category group, came “unexpectedly,” according to an email seen by CRN that was sent by Caitlin Anderson, corporate vice president of product group category sales and marketing at Intel.

Anderson sent the email last Thursday to employees of Intel’s Sales and Marketing Group (SMG), which houses its global partner organization.

Intel declined to comment.

The departures of Yadati (pictured above) and global public sector sales leader Cameron Chehreh, who disclosed his move on LinkedIn Wednesday, came after the leader of SMG, Chief Commercial Officer Christoph Schell, announced his resignation in late April.

Intel’s interim SMG leader and chief commercial officer is Greg Ernst.

In Anderson’s email, she said Yadati is leaving “to pursue another opportunity,” adding that she appreciates his leadership of the group and wished him “success in his next chapter.”

Anderson said she will lead the data center, AI, networking and telecommunications category group in the interim. Before she became corporate vice president of product group category sales and marketing last September, Anderson had served as the general manager of Client Computing Group sales for more than two years.

“I am optimistic about the data center opportunities ahead and look forward to engaging more closely with all of you,” she wrote.

Yadati—who previously worked at HP for several years, like Schell—joined Intel in 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile. While he started as the sales leader of Intel’s Network and Edge Group, Yadati’s responsibilities expanded to include global sales for the Data Center and AI Group as part of a reorganization that happened last year, according to a source familiar with the matter who asked to not be identified.

Public Sector Sales Leader Departs For Startup

Chehreh, who served as vice president and general manager of public sector at Intel for more than three years, said in his Wednesday LinkedIn post that he left the chipmaker in May to return to his “software roots” as the president and general manager of an undisclosed startup focused on “empowering government entities with cutting-edge technology.”

Greg Clifton, general manager of federal sales, has taken over Chehreh’s role as Intel’s interim public sector leader, according to the source.

“I am immensely grateful to my friends and colleagues at Intel for their unwavering support, camaraderie, and invaluable mentorship during my tenure at the company,” he wrote. “Special recognition goes out to my dedicated Government team, whose relentless efforts have consistently served our mission-focused customers with unparalleled dedication and zeal.”

Chehreh also extended his “heartfelt appreciation to the numerous individuals within the Americas & Government sales team, the exceptional Security team led by a visionary leader, and the entire Executive Leadership Team.”

As the head of public sector, Chehreh led a team that focused on delivering technology in “advanced ways to better support our men and women in uniform and our civil servers who drive the citizen services across public sector,” according to his LinkedIn profile.

Prior to joining Intel in 2022, Chehreh was vice president and chief technology officer of Dell Technologies’ federal systems business.

SMG Execs Depart Amid Broader Changes At Intel

Yudati and Chehreh are leaving Intel as Tan implements sweeping organizational changes across the company to “drive better execution and operational efficiency while empowering our engineers to create great products,” as he stated last month.

These changes started with Tan making more of Intel’s top executives, including business unit leaders and top technical executives, report directly to him. By flattening the structure of his executive leadership team, Tan hopes to reduce hierarchy, drive faster decision-making and set clear accountability, he said in a memo to employees in late April.

Tan outlined many more changes when Intel released its first-quarter earnings report a week later, with the company saying it will streamline its organization, eliminate management layers and empower engineering talent in pursuit of the CEO’s goals.

In line with these changes, Intel said it plans to reduce its operating expenses by $500 million this year and another $1 billion next year. While the company did not say how many jobs will be impacted, Tan said “there is no way around the fact that these critical changes will reduce the size of our workforce.”

“We must balance our reductions with the need to retain and recruit key talent,” he wrote in a letter to employees that was published to Intel’s website. “I will empower each of my leaders to make the best possible decisions aligned with our top priorities. These decisions will not be made lightly, and we will keep you regularly informed.”

Days after Intel announced the changes, Schell informed the company that he was resigning as its chief commercial officer to become CEO of Kuka, a German automation company with annual sales of roughly 4 billion euros and approximately 15,000 employees.

In an email to employees, Tan said Ernst, a 19-year Intel veteran who was most recently general manager of Americas sales, would take over SMG as its interim leader while the company evaluated the “best long-term succession plan.”

Prior to Tan becoming Intel’s CEO in March, the company slashed its workforce by more than 15 percent and reduced spending by over $10 billion last year in response to deteriorating financial conditions.

These cuts hit SMG and its global partner organization, which reduced direct partner coverage and reworked market development funds while increasing overall partner funding, among other changes, CRN previously reported.