Page 17 - TelecomReseller August-September 2017

August/September 2017
Telecom Reseller 17
Extra Report on Avaya
Avaya Announces Leadership Transition
Avaya UK Strengthens Senior Marketing Team
E ective October 1, 2017, Jim Chirico to become CEO and Kevin Kennedy to retire
NEW YORK, NY - Avaya has announced that it has appointed Jim Chirico, currently Avaya’s Chief Operating O cer and Global Sales Leader, as Chief Executive O cer, e ective October, 1 2017. Kevin Kennedy, Avaya’s current President and Chief Executive O cer, will retire as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors but has agreed to remain as an advisor to the company. Mr. Chirico will join the Board.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to lead Avaya at a critical point in its history. I will work closely with Kevin over the next two months to ensure a smooth transition as we also continue the process to emerge from chapter 11,” said Mr. Chirico. “We will enter this next chapter with unique strengths and a new capital structure, and I look forward to working with the talented Avaya team to accelerate our long- term success. Kevin has been my mentor and coach for the past nine years, and I am grateful to be his successor. We all thank him for his leadership and success in transforming Avaya and navigating the debt restructuring process.”
Under Mr. Kennedy’s leadership, Avaya has made a successful transition as a so ware
and services company while also more than doubling the company’s Net Promoter Score. In the second scal quarter of 2017, so ware and services accounted for approximately 79% of Avaya’s total revenue.
Mr. Kennedy played a key role in ensuring Avaya is well-positioned to emerge from chapter 11 with enhanced focus on customer and team engagement, following the divestiture of the Networking business, and saw that Avaya preserved its industry-leading nancial model
throughout the restructuring process.
“It’s been an honor to serve as Avaya’s CEO,
especially working with our outstanding
and committed employees, partners and customers,” said Mr. Kennedy. “ e industry has shi ed signi cantly over the last several years, and I am proud of our team’s work to successfully position the company as a trusted partner, helping our customers transform
their customer and employee experiences through our innovative solutions and services. Jim and I have worked together for nearly a decade, and I have witnessed rsthand the instrumental role he played in our successful transformation. I’m con dent he has the knowledge, experience and skills to help Avaya e ectively serve our customers, grow, continue the company’s spirit of innovation and capture even more market share. To help Jim ‘hit the ground running’ when he o cially takes over the role, I am transitioning CEO duties to him as Avaya’s transformation continues.”
Mr. Chirico joined Avaya in 2008, and has
held a variety of positions at the company.
As COO and Global Sales Leader, he is responsible for Operations, Global Sales, Sales Operations, Human Resources and Quality.
He has been fundamental in helping Avaya attain record operating metrics, including best-in-class EBITDA. Prior to Avaya, Mr. Chirico was Executive Vice President, Global Operations, Development and Manufacturing
at Seagate Technology, leading a worldwide
team and successfully driving e ciencies in
the organization. Before joining Seagate, Mr. Chirico spent 17 years as an executive with IBM, including leadership of the Networking Division.
For more information, please visit www. avaya.com. n
Ross White appointed Head of UK Marketing Nick Main named Head of Channel Marketing for EMEA
Guildford: Avaya has announced two senior appointments which strengthen its UK and EMEA marketing team.
Ross White takes on the role of Head of UK Marketing, supported by Nick Main, who has been promoted to the role of Head of Channel Marketing for EMEA. In their new positions, White and Main are supporting Avaya’s marketing during a period of transformation for the company in the UK and across the globe, as it expands its value to partners and customers through a wide range of scalable so ware and services.
In his new position, White leads all UK marketing activity with oversight of all country and joint partner marketing, channel communications, social media programs,
and SI/SP and distribution relationships. White has over 15 years of experience in IT and Telecommunications marketing. Since joining Avaya in 2004, he has held a number of positions within the company, most recently Head of Channel Marketing EMEA.
Nick Main, who takes over the role of
Head of Channel Marketing for EMEA
from White, joined the team in 2016 as EU Channel Marketing Manager. Main is a highly experienced marketing professional who
joined Avaya following 11 years working in
the technology and telecoms industry. Main is responsible for leading existing relationships with key partners, helping them to understand and articulate valuable business solutions through deployment of Avaya’s latest innovative so ware and platforms, such as Avaya Breeze, Avaya Oceana, and Zang.
Quotes
Ioan MacRae, Managing Director, Avaya: “Avaya UK has one of the most skilled, dedicated and creative marketing teams in our sector, and Nick and Ross are living proof of that. Nurturing an ecosystem of diverse and rare talents is a huge part of the value our customers and partners expect from us. e strong relationships we build are based on the results we deliver, which requires not only experience, but insight and enthusiasm. e decades of experience Nick and Ross share show just how well suited they are for these expanded roles, and the potential we see in them to deliver even more.”
Ross White, Head of UK Marketing, Avaya: “Right now, there exists an incredible opportunity for Avaya to showcase the solutions we have developed to help end users deliver exceptional customer experiences and transform their businesses. Avaya has never shied away from innovation, and I’m looking forward to using new account based marketing technology, data tools and digital tactics, to forge even closer relationships with our sales community, and extend our o er to new partners.”
Nick Main, Head of Channel Marketing, EMEA, Avaya:
“I am delighted to be taking on the Head
of Channel Marketing role, though Ross
has certainly le big shoes to ll. Avaya’s
cloud based services are creating incredible opportunities for our partners, allowing them to o er the next-generation, scalable and future- t solutions their customers need. I’m looking forward to working closely with Ross, Ioan and the whole UK team in helping Avaya continue to move from strength to strength.”
For more information, please visit www.avaya. com. n
Avaya Appoints New U.S. Sales Vice Presidents
SANTA CLARA, CA - Avaya has announced the appointment of two new area vice presidents for the U.S. theater. Bruce Rosen and Jim Haigh will lead sales strategies for all segments of customers care, directly and through channel partners, account teams and operations in the Western and Southern areas, respectively.
Bruce, who joins Avaya to drive sales in the U.S. Western region, is an experienced sales and marketing leader. Most recently he led Newport
Strategy Advisors, a professional services
company. Bruce has a long, successful track
record of delivering advanced technology and communication solutions while also developing and growing commercial, enterprise and government accounts. He is a graduate of Tu s University.
Jim, who will lead the U.S. Southern sales organization, comes to Avaya with deep expertise in selling cloud, big data and so ware solutions following 20 years with Microso . roughout
his career, Jim has successfully managed a variety
of teams, delivering pro table results, innovative problem solving, as well as customer and partner satisfaction. He holds a dual degree from Radford University — College of Business and Economics in marketing and MIS.
Quote:
“As Avaya looks to the future and the completion of our debt restructuring, we are more focused than ever on tightly aligning our sales organization
with the needs of our customers and partners. is starts with strong leadership. Bruce and Jim have the skills, qualities and expertise that are critical
to drive success for Avaya and our partners, and most important of all, to assure the satisfaction and loyalty of our customers.”
Jim Geary, general manager, Americas sales and services
For more information, please visit www.avaya. com. n
Avaya Names David Flood as RSL for Ireland
Will focus on helping Avaya customers and partners adopt digital business models
Galway, Ireland - Avaya has announces that David Flood is stepping up as head of the sales leadership team in Ireland, strengthening its position in both the UK and EMEA. David, who takes over as the Regional Sales Lead for Avaya Ireland from the departing Jason Flynn, brings over 22 years of experience to the role.
David joined Avaya in 2009 and has held multiple regional and global sales management roles, focused primarily on System Integrators and Solution Providers (SI/SP), including IBM, CSC, Vodafone, BT and Capita. In his
time with Avaya, David successfully led the transformation of Avaya’s global SI/SP and built a strong track record in de ning and executing go to market models that create sustained partnership, customer success and revenue growth.
Avaya Ireland works with the country’s leading banks, emergency services, education institutions, government departments and global technology and pharmaceutical companies. e country’s largest operators, including BT, eir and Vodafone, are Avaya partners, along with a community of channel partners that includes Capstone, Maintel, Eyrco,
Damovo and Rainbow Communications. Galway is also home to Avaya’s global R&D
team for contact center technology. e team is responsible for architecture and development of Avaya’s contact center solutions, including the agship next-generation technology, Avaya Oceana.
“As the new regional sales lead for Ireland, David’s focus will be to continue building exceptional customer experiences and to help customers achieve their digitisation goals
and address critical challenges within their businesses. David brings exceptional value and experience to the table, so I have the utmost
con dence he will drive our business in Ireland to even greater success.”
Ronald Rubens, Vice President Europe North, Avaya
“Having worked with our customers and partners in Ireland for many years, it is a privilege for me to progress into this new position. I am looking forward to helping more customers in their journey toward digital transformation and cloud adoption using Avaya’s leading-edge so ware and services.” David Flood, RSL, Avaya, Ireland
For more information, please visit www.avaya. com. n