iTWire - People Moves

Armis appoints Christina Kemper to Vice President of International

2024-09-12T11:53:18+10:00

Asset intelligence cybersecurity company Armis has appointed Christina Kemper to VP of International.

Armis says that in her role, Kemper will accelerate international sales growth and expand Armis’ global presence “forging strategic partnerships with organisations across EMEA and Asia Pacific to help businesses manage their cyber risk exposure in real time”.

“Christina brings a wealth of experience and a track record of success in the industry,” said Alex Mosher, Chief Revenue Officer, Armis. “Her strategic vision and deep understanding of the global market will be invaluable as she leads our international expansion efforts, supporting customers to effectively balance innovation and security as they embrace digital transformation. I’m confident that we will achieve great success in the international market with her leadership, expertise and passion.”

Armis notes that London-based Kemper brings over 20 years of sales and leadership experience with global technology enterprises. Most recently, Kemper served as Vice President of EMEA at threat intelligence company Recorded Future - and prior to this, Kemper spent 11 years at sales performance solutions provider CallidusCloud, now part of SAP, where she rose through the ranks of the sales team, ultimately serving in the role of Senior Vice President of Sales for EMEA.

Kemper holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

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“I’m thrilled to join the Armis team at such an exciting time in the company’s journey,” said Kemper. “On a global scale, Armis is achieving remarkable growth, driven by its world-class technology, dedicated team and commitment to helping enterprises of all verticals to protect the ever-expanding attack surface. I’m eager to dive right in and look forward to contributing to Armis’ success and to making an impact working with our customers and partners internationally.”

Armis notes that the news of Christina Kemper’s appointment follows the recent announcement that the company surpassed US$200M in annual recurring revenue (ARR) globally, doubling ARR in less than 18 months.

“Armis is one of just a few companies that has achieved this rapid scale, not just in the cybersecurity market, but of any SaaS company worldwide. Armis’ explosive growth has been driven by its award-winning AI-powered cyber exposure management platform, Armis Centrix™, which has been adopted by the world’s leading organisations, including 35 of the top Fortune 100 companies.

“Armis is expanding globally to provide unparalleled cybersecurity solutions and to protect its customers’ digital assets in an ever-evolving threat landscape. Find open career opportunities here,” concluded Armis.

ECI Software Solutions appoints industry veteran Ray Wizbowski as chief marketing officer

2024-09-12T09:41:43+10:00

ECI Software Solutions strengthens its senior leadership team, announcing the appointment of Ray Wizbowski as chief marketing officer, effective August 01, 2024.

With more than 20 years of marketing experience spanning multiple industries and both small-to-medium businesses (SMB) and enterprise customers, Wizbowski will lead ECI's marketing strategy and ensure its alignment with business objectives and drive brand growth, enhance customer engagement and optimise ECI’s marketing positioning.

Trevor Gruenewald, chief executive officer, ECI Software Solutions said “We’re excited to welcome Ray to the ECI team.

“Ray’s extensive experience building high-performing marketing teams and driving growth in diverse industries perfectly aligns with our strategic goals. His proven track record in developing and executing innovative marketing strategies will be invaluable as we expand our market presence. We are confident that Ray's leadership and vision will help us achieve new levels of success. We look forward to the fresh perspectives he brings to ECI.”

Wizbowski joins ECI from Diligent, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company specialising in governance, risk and compliance, owned by Insight Partners. During his tenure at Diligent, Wizbowski played a pivotal role in value creation by significantly increasing pipeline coverage across the company’s five business lines. He also led a comprehensive company rebranding initiative that integrated multiple acquisitions and successfully aligned the go-to-market functions between marketing and business development representatives to drive growth.

Ray Wizbowski, chief marketing officer, ECI Software Solutions said "I'm honoured to join ECI in supporting SMBs as they grow and strengthen their competitive edge.

“Having grown up in a family of small business entrepreneurs, I understand the challenges of building a sustainable business. I’ve seen firsthand how technology can make a crucial difference in helping SMBs stand out. I’m excited to help our customers drive success and support their entrepreneurial journeys."

Pronto Software leadership changes to strengthen company operations

2024-09-11T12:39:41+10:00

Pronto Software has announced two executive appointments as the company continues to deliver on its growth strategy and commitment to customers.

Mark Hilder has been appointed as the new General Manager of the New South Wales branch. Mr Hilder has been a core member of the Pronto Software team for 17 years and moves into the role from his previous position as a Business Relationship Manager for NSW.

Pronto Software is also pleased to announce that Anthony Nicholl, formerly General Manager of the South Australia and Western Australia branches, will be stepping into the National Branch Operations Manager role.

This appointment will expand Mr Nicholl’s remit to include responsibility for Pronto Software branches in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

Anthony Nicholl, National Branch Operations Manager

The leadership changes align with Pronto Software’s growth ambitions and commitment to customers, with appointments set to strengthen operations, deliver national efficiencies, and bolster customer satisfaction.

“I am very pleased to announce these two appointments,” said Chad Gates, Managing Director at Pronto Software.

“Mark has been with us for 17 years and is highly regarded by team members and customers alike. I am always delighted to promote from within, and I know Mark will dedicate himself to furthering the success of the NSW business.

“Anthony’s appointment will strengthen our focus on branches as we further execute on our strategy. Anthony knows the business, customers and product intimately and has been involved with Pronto Software for well over 20 years. He has my full backing in the new role.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Hilder said he was elated to have been promoted to the General Manager position in New South Wales.

“Pronto Software is a wonderful company to work at and my team are already in a solid position to continue to grow the Pronto Software brand, delivering value for our clients,” he said.

Mr Nicholl also expressed delight at the expansion of his remit as National Branch Operations Manager.

“It is a privilege to be appointed in this new role at Pronto Software,” he said.

“We have an amazing team, and I look forward to leading our branches at a national level and continuing to build on the solid foundation Pronto Software has established over the last 45 years.”

TBM Council Announces New Executive Director

2024-09-11T12:48:30+10:00

Technology leader to usher in new era of TBM

The Technology Business Management (TBM) Council, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to advancing the discipline of TBM through education, standards and collaboration between IT leaders and business partners, has announced its new Executive Director, Matthew Guarini. Guarini previously served as the Vice President and Senior Research Director for Forrester Research’s Technology Executive Service and will use his expertise to support the Council’s strategy, finances and operations.

TBM connects business value to technology investments by giving finance, technology, and business leaders comprehensive visibility, benchmarking, optimisation, billing and planning of their investments regardless of technology stack, delivery or development model. The TBM Council provides best practices for leaders to leverage so they can react quickly to changing market dynamics and optimise cloud and agile strategies to deliver on business objectives.

In his role, Guarini will be focused on leading the modernisation efforts of TBM through some of the biggest updates to the core standards since its launch. These updates include an entirely new Framework 2.0 that positions TBM as a unifying framework for technology value management, allowing organisations to understand the trade-offs between various dimensions of value including performance, risk, sustainability, and costs. Additionally, there will be work on a significant 5.0 update to the TBM Taxonomy, the most well-known element of the TBM discipline, that will add support for cost modelling Generative AI (GenAI) solutions and elevate visibility to on-prem and cloud costs among other changes. Together, the new standards will be aimed to allow organisations to optimise for value across complex hybrid cloud environments and estimate ROI, develop fully burdened investment models, and realise value from AI investments – a key outcome the industry has been increasingly in need of solutions to address.

“The speed of innovation in technology is forcing companies to be more agile and strategic when it comes to their technology investments and how they bring value to the organisation as a whole,” said Matthew Guarini, Executive Director, TBM Council. “I am looking forward to joining an industry-leading organisation at the precipice of reshaping TBM to best align with the goals of businesses across industries as they continue to navigate the complexities of the evolving technology landscape.”

“Matthew is known for his energetic leadership style that can rally teams effectively toward a shared goal,” said Ajay Patel, General Manager, Apptio (an IBM Company) & IT Automation. “His passion for TBM really comes through when you talk with him, and it’s clear he will be a powerful voice for the future of technology management and how it can add strategic value for businesses in all industries.”

For more information about the TBM Council, its membership, and the education and standards it offers, please visit the TBM Council website here.

Avalara Names Kevin Sellers Chief Marketing Officer

2024-09-11T11:25:34+10:00

Sellers’ deep expertise in demand generation, digital marketing, and brand positioning will further propel Avalara’s worldwide market position in tax compliance automation

Avalara, Inc., a leading provider of tax compliance automation software for businesses of all sizes, today announced Kevin Sellers has been named Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer.

Sellers brings more than 25 years of broad-based global marketing expertise to Avalara with a proven track record of driving growth and relevance for world-class brands and moving buyers to action. As CMO of Avalara, Sellers will be responsible for all aspects of marketing including driving demand generation, digital marketing, brand identity, partner marketing, product marketing, prospect marketing, and corporate communications.

"We’re delighted to welcome a proven marketer like Kevin Sellers to Avalara,” said Kimberly Deobald, Chief Revenue Officer at Avalara. “Kevin brings decades of go-to-market marketing expertise from global technology players and has incredible branding and storytelling skills that will benefit Avalara in our next phase of growth.”

Prior to Avalara, Sellers has held CMO positions at Ping Identity and Avnet and spent more than 20 years at Intel in various global marketing and investor relations leadership roles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA from Brigham Young University.

The appointment of Sellers follows the April 2024 announcement of Ross Tennenbaum as the company’s President, responsible for driving company-wide improvements and ensuring the success of every Avalara customer around the globe.

About Avalara

Avalara makes tax compliance faster, easier, more accurate, reliable, and valuable for 41,000+ business and government customers in over 75 countries. Tax compliance automation software solutions from Avalara leverage 1,200+ signed partner integrations across leading ecommerce, ERP, and other billing systems to power tax calculations, document management, tax return filing, and tax content access. Visit avalara.com to improve your compliance journey.

Alchemer names Martin Mrugal as CEO

2024-09-10T07:09:56+10:00

Alchemer announced the appointment of Martin Mrugal as the company’s new chief executive officer, effective immediately.

With over 25 years of experience in the technology industry, Mrugal has a proven track record of driving innovation and growth. He brings significant expertise in customer experience, having led customer strategy and customer success at multiple companies, including SAP.

“With deep expertise in both SaaS software and customer experience, Martin is the ideal leader to accelerate Alchemer’s strategy and mission of empowering customers to create meaningful business outcomes through CX and feedback programs,” said John Park, Alchemer Chairman and Partner at KKR. “We have a fantastic team at Alchemer with great technology and are looking forward to continued success under Martin’s direction.”

Most recently, Mrugal served as the Chief Operating Officer for Ellucian. In this role, he was responsible for all post-sales functions, including professional services, customer success, and support. Before joining Ellucian, he was the Chief Customer Officer at Citrix, where he led cloud innovation and customer strategy. Prior to his tenure at Citrix, Mrugal spent 22 years at SAP, holding multiple executive roles, including the head of Customer First, where he created the first global cross-portfolio customer success team.

“My focus has always centred on the customer and exceeding customer expectations; what excites me most about Alchemer is the mission of leveraging customer feedback across channels and interactions to make a real difference in business outcomes,” said Martin Mrugal, CEO of Alchemer. “This role combines my experience in enterprise software and my passion for customer success.”

Dubber appoints Matthew Bellizia as its Chief Executive Officer

2024-09-09T12:45:28+10:00

Dubber Corporation Limited announced the appointment of Matthew Bellizia as its new CEO, effective 10 September 2024.

Matthew comes to the role with extensive and relevant global technology business experience. His most recent role for 20 years was co-founder and CEO of Mobile Tracking and Data Pty Ltd (MTData), a business that supplies a software platform and mobile technologies to a range of industries, including transport, taxi, mining, government, and service-related industries. MTData operated throughout Australia, NZ, USA, Canada, UK, Europe and the Middle East. The business was in Deloitte Fast 50 Growth for three consecutive years and grew to over $70m in revenue and 160 staff globally.

MTData transport technology business was bought by Telstra in late 2017, and Matthew continued to be CEO until August 2023, whilst A2B Australia bought MTData’s taxi technology business in 2018, where Matthew continued to consult until June 2024.

Matthew holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Computer Science) degree and started his career as a software engineer followed by roles of Software manager, Product Manager and General Manager of International Sales and Marketing prior to his CEO appointment in 2003.

Dubber Chairman Neil Wilson said: “After an extensive search, the Dubber board is delighted to announce Matthew Bellizia as Dubber’s new CEO. Matthew has extensive experience in global technology businesses. Matthew has a deep understanding of the importance of data in driving business outcomes, which aligns with the Dubber solution's current and future solution direction. He has the skills and experience to lead the company to its target of operating cash flow break-even in FY25 and to build market share and revenue growth into the future.”

Incoming CEO, Matthew Bellizia said: “I’m very excited to be joining Dubber and leading the company on the next part of its growth journey. Dubber has a number of key fundamental attributes, including strong customer retention and a technology platform with over 225 communication service provider relationships to deliver its exciting conversational intelligence products. It presents a unique opportunity to build from this strong base and streamline the business to align with the company’s dual objectives of growth and profitability.”

Matthew is employed by the Company under a customary executive service agreement. A summary of the key terms of the agreement (including remuneration) is set out in the annexure to this announcement.

Acting CEO, Peter Pawlowitsch will revert to his previous role of part-time Executive Director and support Matthew as he commences the CEO role. The Board would like to take this opportunity to express its thanks to Mr Pawlowitsch for his significant contribution to the Company in the Acting CEO role.

Logicalis APAC appoints Arissa Wong as vice president – Human Resources for APAC

2024-09-09T11:10:32+10:00

Logicalis, has appointed Arissa Wong as Vice President –Human Resources (HR) for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, effective immediately. This newly formed role follows the departure of Scott Brown, the previous head of Employee Experience for Logicalis Australia.

Arissa, who has been head of HR for Logicalis Asia since 2020, will now manage HR operations for the entire APAC region, including Australia. With over 10 years of HR experience, Arissa has played a key role in shaping talent strategies and boosting employee engagement at Logicalis Asia. In her new position, Arissa will work on aligning HR initiatives across APAC, driving Logicalis talent acquisition, employee experience, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and providing a platform for employees to develop a fulfilling career.

Chong-Win Lee, CEO, Logicalis APAC, said, "Arissa has already had a huge impact on Logicalis’s HR efforts across Asia. She’s been instrumental in making sure our Logicalis HR strategy lines up with our business goals. In her expanded role, I’m confident Arissa will continue to make improvements and help Logicalis APAC attract and keep top talent while making sure the employee experience supports our growth plans across the APAC region."

Arissa Wong, Vice President – HR, Logicalis APAC, said, "I'm excited to step into this role and work with the various Logicalis teams across APAC. Logicalis is committed to creating strong employee experiences, and I’m determined to continue this focus. Our goal is to create an environment where people can thrive and advance their careers, and I’m eager to drive initiatives that empower our teams and support talent development across the region."

Logicalis APAC also announced that Tanur Parira will take on the role of HR business partner for Australia and will continue to support APAC initiatives including DEI, as well as contribute to shaping the service delivery centre (SDC) in Malaysia. Tanur will report directly to Arissa and work closely with the Logicalis Australia team.

As Logicalis continues to strengthen its position in the APAC market, the company’s HR leadership will play a critical role in supporting its expansion and ensuring that Logicalis remains an employer of choice in the region.

Logicalis APAC is focused on DEI efforts, having set ambitious targets to improve the workplace for employees, achieve gender equity, and eliminate the gender pay gap. Both Arissa and Tanur are responsible for ensuring Logicalis APAC is a great place to work and providing a platform for employees to develop a fulfilling career. For more information visit: careers.logicalis.com

Ellie Sweeney named new NBN Co CEO

2024-09-05T17:28:23+10:00

Wholesale broadband operator NBN Co has appointed Vocus CEO Ellie Sweeney as its new CEO.

Sweeney’s appointment, to take effect in December 2024, will fill the role vacated by Stephen Rue last May.

Rue quit NBN Co and joined Optus as its newest CEO.

Sweeney spent six years at Vocus, serving as chief operating officer and then as CEO from last year.

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She both held executive director of global enterprise services and sales roles at Telstra for more than 14 years.

In a statement, Sweeney will lead NBN Co as it “continues to lift the digital capability of Australia through significant network investments that are driving social and economic benefits for the nation.”

Commenting on her appointment, Sweeney said in a statement, "NBN doesn't just build the infrastructure; the company is building the future of Australia. My passion for the NBN purpose stems from a belief that enhanced connectivity drives progress and prosperity.”

"My vision for our future is rooted in the conviction that by expanding and enhancing our digital infrastructure and technology, we can drive meaningful change and ensure that all Australians can thrive."

NBN Co chair Kate McKenzie welcomed Sweeney’s appointment.

"She [Sweeney] brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the telecommunications landscape, and will continue to deliver on our ambition to ensure that homes and businesses have access to world-class broadband - empowering people; delivering for customers, valued partners, and stakeholders; and continuing to foster the strong culture of NBN.”

In a statement, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Sweeney’s appointment comes at an “important time” for NBN Co to maximise the benefits of NBN for all Australians.

“The Albanese Government is investing to support NBN Co to deliver network upgrades and improved technology to meet the growing connectivity needs of Australians.

“Our goal is to narrow the digital divide across Australian communities, and ensure we have world-class digital infrastructure to support a Future Made in Australia.”

Access4 Appoints Greg Round as Head of Strategic Partnerships

2024-09-05T12:51:10+10:00

Access4, the leading wholesale provider of voice and Unified Communication-as-a-Service (UCaaS) solutions, has announced the appointment of Greg Round to the newly created role of Head of Strategic Partnerships.

In this role based in Melbourne, Round is tasked with leading Access4’s new bids and tenders team in supporting partners to identify and win private and public contracts in the enterprise and government space. Access4’s bids and tenders team, the structure of which will be revealed for the first time at the company’s annual partner conference in Queenstown on 15 September 2024, represents Access4’s ongoing investment into helping its partners win larger and more complex deals.

Round joins Access4 with more than 25 years of new business development and channel partner management in the IT industry. He was formerly Regional Manager – Channels & Alliances at Oracle where he managed the company’s Australian and New Zealand channels and industry alliances within its Enterprise Communications Division.

He previously worked at Symbio for more than ten years in several roles, including as General Manager for Commercial and Strategy, and as General Manager Enterprise and Government. During this time, he was responsible for strategy, sales, account management, and channel partner related activity.

Round was also Symbio’s Manager of Partner Solutions for three years where he managed a solution driven sales team which combined both product development with commercial sales capturing key customer requirements through consultation and tender processes to build innovative solutions and channel strategies. Earlier on in his career, Round worked at Alloy Computer Products in OEM and IT channel distribution.

Tim Jackson, Managing Director, Access4, said, “Greg is an experienced and trusted identity within the Australian ICT industry, and we believe his experience, network and leadership with be invaluable to our partner community as we launch this new initiative. Greg’s track record in working across government and enterprise positions him well for Access4’s next horizon of growth and innovation. The complexities faced in large bids and tenders complemented with our IP in bringing cloud communication solutions to market make for a great foundation for Greg to work with. Greg will build out our framework and systems to empower partners to be competitive in these sales processes and be an extension of their sales and marketing team.”

Greg Round added, “Access4 is committed to building trusted relationships with vendor alliance partners to ensure channel focused customer success. We look forward to working with partners to fulfil their key market objectives in driving new business, establishing a competitive advantage, and creating demonstrable business value through our portfolio of best-in-class, market-leading cloud communications solutions.

“We have an exceptional base of partners recognised for their adoption of innovative products and strong customer relationships and I am excited to build on our mutual success and market momentum by helping them to meet their full potential in success within major customer bids, advising on pricing strategies and contract governance as well as promoting these wins back into the industry and vendors.”

About Access4

Access4 delivers the power of cloud communication and collaboration tools with advanced PBX features to transform business communications across ANZ. Purpose-built to support partners, Access4 offers a truly multi-tenanted solution, automation and invoicing with global leading vendors and integrations.