Sources: Symantec Names Sales, Channel Leadership Lineup As Blue Coat Integration Continues
Symantec continues to name Blue Coat leaders to its top executive positions as the two companies merge, with sources telling CRN the company has named three Blue Coat executives and two Symantec executives to lead its sales and channel efforts going forward.
Marc Andrews, formerly senior vice president of worldwide field operations at Blue Coat, will now serve as head of worldwide sales at Symantec, sources said. Andrews had been with Blue Coat since 2011, joining the company from Micro Focus where he was president.
Steve Tchejeyan will now serve as head of sales for the Americas, with the title of senior vice president of Americas sales and sales operations. Tchejeyan previously served as senior vice president of the Americas at Blue Coat. He joined Blue Coat in 2015 from Intel Security, where he was senior vice president of the U.S. theater.
John Sorenson, formerly senior vice president of global sales at Symantec, will now lead worldwide SMB, midmarket sales and channel for the company. Sorenson is a longtime Symantec executive, joining the company in 2005 and holding a variety of sales leadership roles at the company.
John Thompson, formerly global vice president of partner and channel sales, global systems integrators and global solution providers, has been named head of worldwide channels at the combined company. Thompson joined Symantec in 2014 from Cisco, where he was global vice president of strategic partners.
Finally, sources said Keith Weatherford has been appointed as the company’s new head of Americas channels, reporting to Tchejeyan. Weatherford had previously served as vice president of Americas channels at Blue Coat. He joined Blue Coat in 2015 from Intel Security, where he was director of commercial and public sector channels.
Symantec confirmed the appointments of Andrews, Tchejeyan, Sorensen and Thompson in an email to CRN. The company did not provide any additional comment on the appointments.
Partners said they hoped the new executive lineup would help the company get rolling with its sales and marketing efforts under the combined brand.
’Hopefully things settle down quickly and we can get the momentum back on sales and product road maps,’ said one partner executive who did not want to be named.
The appointments are the latest in a series of moves as the two companies work to integrate Symantec’s $4.65 billion blockbuster acquisition of Blue Coat. The acquisition closed Aug. 1.
So far, Symantec has announced former Blue Coat CEO Greg Clark as CEO, former Blue Coat President and COO Michael Fey as president and COO, and Symantec CFO Thomas Seifert will remain as CFO.
Symantec has also confirmed the departures of Symantec CMO Dan Rogers and Blue Coat Vice President of Worldwide Channel Sales and Operations Kurt Mills. Rogers has been replaced by Michael Williams, who served as the senior vice president of marketing at Blue Coat and will now serve as CMO of Symantec.