Former D-Link Channel Chief Heads To Cisco

His title is director, operations go-to-market business capabilities, according to Piwowarczyk, who confirmed details of his new role to CRN. He reports to Bill LePage, Cisco senior vice president, go-to-market business operations.

"As things progress in your career you always want to be able to make an impact at an organization, and my journey has led me to Cisco to leverage my background in sales, service and channels to enhance and lead the transformation going on with their business capabilities," he told CRN. "It's a great time to be at Cisco, and I'm excited to be part of the team."

[Related: D-Link To Partners: Exec Shake-up Isn't Rattling Our Channel Strategy ]

Piwowarczyk was among the first of several well-known D-Link executives to leave the networking vendor in what became an executive exodus from the company's North American ranks.

He and others have been credited by solution providers with transitioning D-Link's North America channel program from primarily a transaction-based model to a solutions-and-services approach. Albert Ling, senior vice president of channel operations for D-Link, who replaced Piwowarczyk's position, told CRN last month that D-Link would continue to invest in channel programs and not change course.

Nick Tidd, former North America President; Michael Walsh, former CIO and vice president of IT for North America and Europe; Mark Ciprietti, former vice president and general manager, business solutions division, Canada and also former vice president, North American channel DMR; Rod St. Michel, former vice president, consumer sales; Kevin Lahm, former associate vice president for North America field systems engineers; and Betsy Roddy, former senior director of marketing communications and field marketing, have all left the company since October.

Several have gone on to new gigs. Tidd is consulting for Condusiv, formerly known as Diskeeper, and actively looking at new opportunities, Roddy is now marketing director at dental care referral service 1-800 DENTIST, Lahm became a system engineer at Meru Networks, and Ciprietti is now vice president of sales for Pickering, Ontario-based solution provider Empowered Networks.