Lumen Taps Longtime Partner Champion Jim Ortbals As New Channel Chief

Lumen is strengthening its bench with the appointment of channel veteran Jim Ortbals as SVP of global partner solutions, tapping the former Cisco and BeyondTrust executive to sharpen partner execution as the company pivots further toward strategic networking services and AI.

Lumen Technologies is bringing on industry channel champion Jim Ortbals as its new senior vice president of global partner solutions.

In his new role with Lumen, Ortbals will lead the company’s channel partner strategy and execution efforts as the telecom-turned-technology provider continues its company-wide transformation in favor of delivering enterprise — not consumer — services.

Ortbals specifically is being tasked with improving how Lumen engages partners, supports execution, and delivers outcomes across a key area of its commercial business, according to Monroe, La.-based Lumen.

[Related: Lumen Technologies CEO On Consumer Business Sale As A ‘Defining Moment’ For Company’s Enterprise Pivot]

Ortbals brings a wealth of experience with partners to the role, with more than 25 years spent growing global channel organizations. Most recently, Ortbals previously served as senior vice president of global partner ecosystems for cybersecurity company BeyondTrust since November 2024. Ortbals has also held a variety of channel and sales leadership roles at Cisco, VMware, Zscaler and Deep Instinct, among other tech companies.

“I’m excited to join Lumen at a time when enterprises are demanding tangible business outcomes and partners play an increasingly critical role in delivering them,” Ortbals said in a statement. “Lumen’s momentum and investments in our digital platform create a strong foundation for partner-led growth. My focus is to simplify and strengthen our channel partner motions so we consistently engage, enable, and support partners with operating rigor and clear accountability.”

In a big get for the company, Lumen in February revealed that it brought on longtime Cisco Systems veteran Jeff Sharritts as its executive vice president and chief revenue officer. Sharritts is leading Lumen’s commercial strategy, and Ortbals will report directly to Sharritts.

“As we transform Lumen into the trusted network for AI, we need a partner ecosystem built for speed, rigor and scale. [Ortbals] brings proven experience building and scaling global channel organizations, connecting commercial strategy to results. His leadership will help simplify our partner motions, sharpen execution, and accelerate growth by delivering better outcomes for enterprise customers,” Sharritts said of Ortbals’ new appointment in a statement.

Lumen’s senior vice president of strategic sales and channel chief, Dave Young, retired from the company in June 2023. In his place until September 2024 was Sara Seegers, Lumen’s regional vice president of indirect channel sales and opportunity management, who stepped up as national vice president of indirect partner channel and interim channel chief until she left the company.

The role that Ortbals is now occupying has since evolved to reflect Lumen’s current channel priorities, a spokesperson for the company told CRN.

Lumen, for its part, has been going through a multi-year transformation as it focuses heavily on its core networking assets and digital capabilities in the AI era. Partners, the company has said, will be critical in reaching more enterprise customers with the capabilities and services they now require.

“We care about the partner ecosystem. We value it. We probably, in our prioritization, had to wait until we got our mojo back before we could really press the gas pedal, but it’s go time,” Lumen CEO Kate Johnson told CRN in an exclusive interview in November.