Extreme Networks' Channel Chief Jumps to NaaS Specialist Nitel As CRO

Scott Peterson, who most recently served as global channel chief for Extreme Networks for nearly two years, has moved on to a new role as CRO of NaaS specialist Nitel.

Nitel, a telecom service provider turned Network-as-a-Service technology provider to solution providers, now has a new chief revenue officer: technology and channel sales veteran Scott Peterson.

Peterson came to Nitel from Extreme Networks where he was senior vice president of global channels for the networking provider since January 2022. He joined Nitel effective this week.

Peterson is taking over for Nitel's former CRO of four years who left the company in August, Mark Dickey.

A spokesperson for Extreme Networks said that the company does not have a global channel chief at this time.

[Related: Nitel Acquires Hypercore, Its First Deal Following Private Equity Investment]

Peterson brings more than 20 years of technology sales and channel experience into his new role, having most recently served as global channel chief for Extreme Networks where he drove growth in the company's channel program and partner go-to-market strategy. Prior to that, Peterson served as executive vice president and CRO for Mitel Communications for two years. Before his time with Mitel, Peterson spent 15 years at telecom giant Verizon where he served as vice president and general manager of Verizon's small business customer segment, director of worldwide sales and consulting services, and Verizon Enterprise Solutions' Group Vice President, among other roles he held during his tenure.

“Nitel has been doing some interesting things with the business, including the recent announcement around expanding its global capabilities and introducing a comprehensive set of SASE solutions,” Peterson said in a statement about his appointment. “Most of all, I’m happy to be part of an organization where customer and partner success are such an integral element of our growth plans. Helping our business customers win in their marketplace (via a robust channel) is what it’s all about.”

Chicago-based Nitel, which was founded in 2003, has undergone a transformation in recent years and today is focused on providing NaaS, including managed routing, software-defined networking and layered security via its community of channel partners. The company in 2022 bought Garland, Texas-based Hypercore Networks, a fellow technology developer, which specialized in business-focused connectivity and telecom technologies, including voice and expanded software-defined networking technologies.

Nitel's CEO Margi Shaw called Peterson's appointment "a continuation of the company’s growth strategy," which started in late 2021 when UK-based private equity firm Cinven made a significant investment in Nitel.

“We continue to support our vision with strategic leadership hires,” she said in a statement. “We’ve added to the management team in critical areas, especially in support of global growth aspirations. [Peterson] is another key hire as we work to improve every aspect of our operations to support our vision.”