Changing Channel Chiefs

By Diane Krakora

Watching Channel executives changing jobs is nothing new. The industry sees about six notable moves a year. However, there seems to be a recent cluster of movement among the ranks of “channel chiefs,” which includes both long time leaders and recent appointees.  The shuffling began with Leonard Iventosch leaving NetApp. Then Pat Bernard left Novell after a short year in that position. Then after many distinguished years of service, Nancy Reynolds left Trend Micro for a start up.  And, Julie Parrish just announced she is leaving Symantec.

In this economic downturn, recession, or crash, what inspires these channel executive to leave their stable, albeit not cushy jobs, in search for greener pastures?   I recently caught up with one notable mover in this cluster, Mike Brunner, who recently vacated his role as VP WW Channels at Wyse for VMware.  In our dialog, I was searching for why shift at all, why now, and why choose VMware?  Here are the highlights of our conversation.

Q. Why did you leave the VP position at Wyse for a Sr. Director level job at VMware — it seems a risky step in this economy?

A. I was looking for a challenge (include insider chuckle here).  All kidding aside, I was concerned Wyse was not being aggressive enough, and we were going into a “prevent defense.”  Sometimes that works, but too often you leave yourself very vulnerable to attack. I was intrigued by some of the bold channel moves made in early ’08 by Steve Houck and his team at VMware, and after confirming my instincts with some trusted joint partners, I decided to make a move.

Q. As you enter the organization with a fresh perspective, what is your perception of VMware’s biggest challenges?