Kaspersky Appoints Two C-Level Execs

Buyakin's post has been split into two positions: chief sales and marketing officer and chief operating officer. Andrey Tikhonov, chief information officer since 2009, will become COO and Garry Kondakov, managing director of emerging markets, will take the position of CSMO. Buyakin is scheduled to leave the company on Dec. 31.

The Moscow-based company also announced Monday that Chief Marketing Officer Roger Wilson is leaving on Dec. 31. A search is underway for his replacement, Kaspersky spokesman Alejandro Arango said. Wilson's successor will report to Kondakov,

The chain of command for the North American channel will change in line with the C-level shuffling. Stephen Orenberg, who oversees the channel, will report to Kondakov, Arango said.

“Our company is entering a new and important stage in its development, one which sets before us extremely ambitious goals and tasks," Eugene Kaspersky, founder and chief executive of the company, said in a statement. "Optimizing our corporate management is an important and necessary step towards successfully realizing these ambitions, and a significant accomplishment for the company as a whole."

Tikhonov joined the company in 1994 as a product developer within the company's original team. He held the post of technical director from 2004 to 2009, when he was appointed chief information officer.

Kondakov headed the company's territory office for Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic States from 2002 to this year, when he became managing director of emerging markets.

"Andrey Tikhonov and Garry Kondakov are both talented and experienced managers who have repeatedly over the last 10 years demonstrated their ability to reach the most difficult of goals," Kaspersky said.

Buyakin is leaving Kaspersky to pursue personal business interests, and Wilson plans to start a consulting agency in branding and communications in Europe. Under Buyakin's leadership, the company's size quadrupled over the last four years, according to Kaspersky. The CEO credited Wilson with bringing the company's marketing practice to international standards.

"My gratitude goes to both of them for their vital, long-running, professional contributions to the company, and I wish them the best of success in their future endeavors,” he said.

The management changes come five months after Kaspersky Lab took a big step in its growth plans by partnering with global technology distributor Ingram Micro. Besides expanding Kaspersky's reseller base, the move put the company more on par with security giants Symantec and McAfee.

The article has been modified to clarify changes in C-level structure at the company.