30 Notable IT Executive Moves: September 2023
Zorus, Optiv, OpenText, Microsoft, Mission Cloud Services and HPE were among the tech companies making key executive hires during September 2023.
A new Zorus CEO. A chief information officer at Optiv. And a chief digital officer and executive vice president at OpenText.
Brett Cheloff, formerly of ConnectWise; Mike Feliton, formerly of Crocs; and Shannon Bell, formerly of Rogers Communications, are just some of the executives hired last month.
[RELATED: 30 Notable IT Executive Moves: August 2023]
September Tech Exec Moves
Microsoft, Mission Cloud Services and Hewlett Packard Enterprise 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:
*Kavita Kanetkar, formerly of Roblox
*Dina Otero, formerly of Aprimo
*Otho Lyon, formerly of Cloudera
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.
BlackLine, Malwarebytes, Google, Dell Technologies and Slalom are among the tech businesses to announce or conduct layoffs in recent weeks.
Read on for more of the 30 notable IT executive moves from September 2023.
Mike Feliton
Mike Feliton became chief information officer of Optiv in September.
Feliton came to the Denver-based company – No. 24 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after more than four years with Crocs, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Crocs with the title of senior vice president and CIO.
His resume includes more than three years as CIO of jewelry design firm David Yurman, according to his LinkedIn account.
Angela Bucher
In September, Angela Bucher became vice president of customer success at Sophos.
She joined the England-based security vendor after more than three years with Unbounce, according to her LinkedIn account. Bucher left Unbounce with the same title.
Her resume includes more than a year with Clio, according to Bucher’s LinkedIn account. She left the company in 2020 with the title of customer enablement director.
All of Sophos’ revenue comes from solution providers, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.
Aparna Rayasam
Aparna Rayasam joined Palo Alto Networks last month as senior vice president of product management for cloud-delivered security services, according to a LinkedIn post.
Rayasam came to the Santa Clara, Calif.-based security vendor after more than a year with Trellix, according to her LinkedIn account. She left Trellix with the title of chief product officer.
Her resume includes about 15 years with Akamai Technologies. She left Akamai in 2022 with the title of senior vice president and general manager for application security.
Palo Alto Networks has about 10,000 worldwide channel partners, 1,200 of them in North America, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.
Shannon Bell
Shannon Bell became executive vice president and chief digital officer of OpenText in September.
In this role, Bell is “responsible for all IT and digital systems, data platforms, networks and communications, commercial and corporate cloud operations, as well as security and compliance,” according to her LinkedIn account.
She joined the Canada-based tech vendor after about four years with Rogers Communications. She left Rogers with the title of senior vice president of IT and digital.
Her resume includes more than 10 years with Amdocs and Bridgewater Systems, according to her LinkedIn account. She left Amdocs in 2019 with the title of vice president and head of product management and strategy. She joined Bridgewater in 2009. Amdocs bought Bridgewater in 2011.
OpenText has about 20,000 worldwide channel partners, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.
Kavita Kanetkar
Kavita Kanetkar joined Microsoft in September, taking on the role of vice president of engineering and leading segments for Microsoft Teams.
Kanetkar came to the Redmond, Wash.-based vendor after about two years with Roblox, according to her LinkedIn account. She left Roblox with the title of head of economy engineering.
Her resume includes about four years with Twitter and about seven years with Google, according to Kanetkar’s LinkedIn account.
Kanetkar left Twitter – now known as X – in 2020 with the title of director of engineering for ads infrastructure. She left Google in 2013 with the title of software engineer and tech lead.
Microsoft has about 400,000 worldwide channel partners, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.
Dina Otero
As of last month, Dina Otero is now vice president of demand generation for Mission Cloud Services.
Otero joined the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 MSP 500 – after more than two years with Aprimo, according to her LinkedIn account. She left Aprimo with the title of head of demand generation and growth.
Her resume includes more than nine years with Confirmit. She left the company in 2021 with the title of senior director of demand generation and marketing operations.
Brett Cheloff
In September, Brett Cheloff became CEO of Zorus. He replaced Ian McChord.
Cheloff previously served as senior vice president of product and engineering at the Norwalk, Conn.-based, MSP-focused cybersecurity vendor, according to his LinkedIn profile. He joined Zorus in 2022.
His resume includes about 12 years with ConnectWise, leaving the vendor with the title of vice president of product for ConnectWise Automate.
Lisa Campbell
Lisa Campbell joined CrowdStrike in September, taking on the role of vice president of small and midsize business (SMB), according to a post on LinkedIn.
Campbell came to the Austin, Texas-based security vendor after about two years with Gusto, according to her LinkedIn account. She left the company with the title of vice president of business development and head of partner growth for the platform.
Her resume includes about two years with Johnson & Johnson. She left the company in 2021 with the title of global director of business and corporate development.
Otho Lyon
Last month, Otho Lyon joined Hewlett Packard Enterprise as vice president of delivery transformation, strategy and digital experience.
In this role, he “leads the GreenLake Platform Support (GPST) delivery team” and “manages the Cloud Transformation Roadmap and PMO across Portfolio, Platform & Delivery,” among other tasks, according to his LinkedIn account.
Lyon came to the Houston-based tech giant after more than seven years with Cloudera. He left Cloudera with the title of vice president of global support.
His resume includes about 11 years with NetApp, according to his LinkedIn account. Lyon left the company in 2016 with the title of senior manager of United States public sector enterprise account services.
HPE has about 80,000 worldwide channel partners, 10,000 of them in North America, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.
John Rayfield
Advanced Micro Devices hired John Rayfield in September as corporate vice president of artificial intelligence (AI) silicon.
Rayfield joined Santa Clara, Calif.-based AMD after about three years with Intel, according to his LinkedIn profile. He left Intel with the title of vice president and general manager for client AI.
He previously worked at Imagination Technologies for about a year as chief technology officer, according to his LinkedIn account.
AMD has 125 North America channel partners, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.
Krish Venkataraman
Dataiku hired Krish Venkataraman last month as its new president.
Venkataraman joined the New York-based artificial intelligence (AI) platform vendor after about a year with Socure, according to his LinkedIn profile. He left Socure with the title of chief financial officer.
His resume includes more than three years with KnowBe4. He left the company in 2022 as co-president and CFO.
Ryan McCurdy
Ryan McCurdy started last month as Lenovo senior vice president and president of North America, replacing Vlad Rozanovich.
McCurdy joined the China-based computer manufacturer after more than 23 years with Intel, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Intel with the title of corporate vice president and general manager of global accounts.
He started with Intel in 2000 as a customer sales analyst, according to his LinkedIn account.
Michael Ford
Last month, Michael Ford became AT&T’s senior vice president of global real estate and security.
In this role, he is responsible for “the entire real estate life cycle, including strategic planning, acquisitions, dispositions, transactions, design/construction, and management,” according to his LinkedIn account. He also ensures “the security, investigation, and protection of AT&T’s valuable assets and operations.”
Ford joined the Dallas-based telecommunications vendor after about 18 years with Microsoft, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Microsoft with the title of corporate vice president of global workplace services.
Hugo Vliegen
Hugo Vliegen returned to Cisco System last month, taking on the role of vice president of product management and technical marketing for enterprise routing and software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN).
Vliegen previously wrapped up a 16-plus-year tenure at the San Jose, Calif.-based networking giant in 2017, departing Cisco with the title of senior director of product management for secure cloud edge and managed services, according to his LinkedIn account
Before his return to Cisco, he worked at Aryaka Networks for about four years. Vliegen left Aryaka with the title of senior vice president, product management for networking and security-as-a-service.
Meir Amiel
Meir Amiel returned to Salesforce in September, becoming executive vice president and chief technology officer for Customer 360 applications.
In this role, Amiel will lead “the technology teams for Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Commerce Cloud,” according to a LinkedIn post.
He previously worked at the San Francisco-based customer relationship management (CRM) vendor for more than 11 years, leaving in 2022 with the title of EVP and chief product officer for MuleSoft.
Amiel worked at Twilio for about a year before returning to Salesforce, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Twilio with the title of senior vice president and general manager of the data and applications business unit.
Salesforce has more than 11,000 partners, according to the vendor.
Dominic Walton
Zscaler hired Dominic Walton in September as its vice president of global site reliability engineering.
He joined the San Jose, Calif.-based security vendor after about 10 years with ServiceNow, according to his LinkedIn account. He left ServiceNow with the title of vice president of global cloud operations for site reliability engineering.
His resume includes about three years with Tata Communications. He left Tata in 2013 with the title of head of operations for global media and entertainment solutions.
Zscaler has about 1,900 worldwide channel partners, about 900 of them in North America, according to CRN’s 2023 Channel Chiefs.
Saurabh Kulkarni
Saurabh Kulkarni returned to Intel in September, gaining the role of vice president for AI systems design with a focus on data center scale systems.
He previously worked at Intel for more than 13 years, leaving in 2014 with the title of senior hardware architect and security researcher, according to his LinkedIn account.
Kulkarni returned to the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker after about a year with Lucata, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Lucata with the title of chief product officer and senior vice president of software.
His resume includes about six years with Microsoft, leaving the tech giant in 2020 with the title of director of engineering for cloud and AI system technologies.
Howard Boville
Howard Boville joined DXC Technology in September as executive vice president and global lead of applications services and AI.
Boville came to the Ashburn, Va.-based company – No. 10 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after more than three years with IBM, according to his LinkedIn account. He left IBM with the title of senior vice president of the IBM Cloud Platform, Technology Lifecycle Services (TLS) and cybersecurity.
His resume includes more than seven years with Bank of America. He left the company in 2020 with the title of chief technology officer.
Miguel Sossa
Capgemini hired Miguel Sossa in September, giving him the role of vice president for Americas sustainability and go-to-market lead.
Sossa joined the France-based company – No. 3 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after more than two years with Climate Impact Partners, according to his LinkedIn account. He left that firm with the title of vice president of the Western region.
His resume includes about six years with Accenture. He left the firm in 2018 with the title of senior manager of the smart cities practice.
Ryan Peyovich
In September, World Wide Technology hired Ryan Peyovich as vice president of sales.
Peyovich joined the Maryland Heights, Mo.-based company – No. 9 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after about a year with KPMG, according to his LinkedIn account. He left KPMG with the title of senior director.
His resume includes about two years with ServiceNow. He left the company in 2022 with the title of client director for T-Mobile.
Joe Greer
Joe Greer became a vice president at Insight last month, focusing on the company’s portfolio of global delivery projects.
Greer came to the Chandler, Ariz.-based company – No. 16 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after about five years with Capgemini, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Capgemini with the title of VP.
His resume includes more than 32 years with AT&T. Greer left AT&T in 2018 with the title of assistant vice president of IT.
Paul Tartaglione
General Dynamics IT hired Paul Tartaglione last month as senior vice president and chief growth officer.
Tartaglione came to GDIT – No. 13 on CRN’s 2023 Solution Provider 500 – after about 24 years with Booz Allen Hamilton, according to his LinkedIn account. He leaves Booz Allen Hamilton as an SVP and partner.
His experience includes “helping federal customers navigate complex challenges and drive more efficient and effective outcomes using artificial intelligence (AI), next-generation data solutions, cybersecurity, advanced software development, and more,” according to GDIT’s website.
Jason Maley
Jason Maley became vice president of sales at GuidePoint Security last month.
Maley joined the Herndon, Va.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 Managed Service Provider 500 – after about eight years with Optiv, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Optiv with the title of strategic regional director.
His resume includes more than four years with FishNet Security and more than eight years with Check Point Software Technologies. Maley left FishNet in 2015 with the title of territory director for the Ohio Valley and Carolinas. He left Check Point in 2011 as an account manager.
Frank Sancho
Frank Sancho is now senior vice president of the enterprise solutions group at Connection, with a focus on “driving adoption of the as-a-service model and building results-oriented relationships with our partners.”
Sancho came to the Merrimack, N.H.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 Managed Service Provider 500 – after about two years with Digital Realty, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Digital Realty with the title of senior director.
His resume includes more than 17 years with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Hewlett-Packard. Sancho left HPE in 2021 with the title of director of product management for GreenLake cloud services. HPE split from Hewlett-Packard in 2015.
Michael Lewis
Red8 hired Michael Lewis last month as its chief operating officer.
Lewis came to the Hyannis, Mass.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 Managed Service Provider 500 – after more than 10 years with Teleperformance, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Teleperformance with the title of division president.
He started at Teleperformance in 2012 as a call center director.
Anand Vora
Anand Vora took on the role of senior vice president of engineering at Persistent Systems in September.
Vora joined the company – a member of CRN’s 2023 MSP 500 with offices in California, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas and more – after more than 25 years with Tech Mahindra, according to his LinkedIn account.
He left Tech Mahindra with the title of vice president of IT. He joined the company in 1998 as a software design engineer.
Jerry Volpe
Last month, Jerry Volpe returned to Red River, taking on the role of vice president of business operations.
Volpe came back to the Claremont, N.H.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 MSP 500 – after more than a year with NTT Data, according to his LinkedIn account.
His previous stint with Red River ended after about seven years in 2022, with Volpe departing as business operations director at Red River. He left NTT with the title of VP of ServiceNow consulting and delivery services.
Steven Gatoff
Inseego has a new chief financial officer with the September hiring of Steven Gatoff, according to a company statement. Gatoff succeeds Bob Barbieri.
Gatoff joined the San Diego-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 MSP 500 – after less than a year as CFO of Edge Case Research, according to his LinkedIn account.
He has held the CFO title at companies including Absolute Software, where he worked for about two years until 2022; 8x8, where he worked for about two years until 2020; PagerDuty, where he worked for about a year until 2018; and Rapid7, where he worked for about four years until 2017, according to his LinkedIn account.
Erez Yarkoni
Erez Yarkoni came to Denali Advanced Integration in September, taking on the role of executive vice president.
Yarkoni joined the Redmond, Wash.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 MSP 500 – after about two years with Karat, according to his LinkedIn account. He left Karat with the title of EVP.
His resume includes more than two years with Check Point Software Technologies, leaving in 2021 as vice president and head of cloud and telecommunications worldwide.
Stephen Haindl
In September, Stephen Haindl became chief compliance officer and compliance practice leader for CTN Solutions.
In this role, Haindl will “lead the design and development of CTN’s Governance, Risk and Compliance Practice to help customers research, design, implement, monitor, and maintain their GRC programs for statutory, regulatory and contractual compliance,” according to his LinkedIn account.
He came to the Blue Bell, Pa.-based company – a member of CRN’s 2023 MSP 500 – after more than seven years with Holman. He left Holman with the title of executive vice president, chief information officer and chief information security officer, according to his LinkedIn account.