IT management software provider SolarWinds has hired VMware and IBM veteran Chad Reese as president of Americas sales and global channel. The move comes as SolarWinds strives to jumpstart growth after spinning off its N-able MSP software business in 2021.
The backdrop: SolarWinds revenue was $176 million in Q2 of 2022, down slightly from Q2 of 2021. For the full year, SolarWinds expects total revenue of $715 million to $725 million -- which is roughly flat compared to 2021, according to an August 2022 financial forecast for the business.
In stark contrast, fast-growth rivals such as DataDog have successfully expanded across the infrastructure, application, data and cloud monitoring sectors. To wit, Datadog revenue was $406.1 million in Q2 of 2022 -- up 74% compared to Q2 of 2021, the company said in August 2022.
SolarWinds: Rebuilding Customer and Partner Trust
Still, there are signs that SolarWinds is rebuilding customer trust after disclosing the infamous Orion supply chain software hack in December 2020. Among the anecdotal areas of improvement: Customer retention has improved to historical levels, CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna said in August 2022.
Seeking to build in that progress, Reese now leads sales at SolarWinds for the enterprise, mid-market, and SMB markets and the public sector in the Americas. Moreover, he is responsible for the company’s global channel ecosystem.
Reese certainly has enterprise-class channel partner experience. Before joining SolarWinds, he was:
- VMware global head of sales for the commercial customer segment; and
- IBM vice president of cloud and SaaS for North America; and
- IBM vice president of the business partner organization for Europe.
SolarWinds Hires Global Channel Chief: Executive Perspectives
In a prepared statement about the hire, Andrea Webb, EVP, chief customer officer, SolarWinds, said:
“Chad is a proven sales leader with experience serving multiple market segments around the world and will be a vital addition to our team as our model evolves and we execute our growth strategy. From creating global channel programs and alliances, evolving businesses to subscription and SaaS models, and growing and leading teams domestically and abroad, Chad has successfully done it. We look forward to the impact he’ll make on our business.”
Added Reese:
“It’s exciting to join the talented SolarWinds team during this time of positive momentum as the company executes its growth strategy focused on delivering platform-based technologies to accelerate business transformation. With a large, loyal global customer install base, a strong, historical renewal rate, an outstanding solution portfolio and roadmap, and a highly experienced senior leadership team, we’re well positioned for growth. My objective is to build a scalable, repeatable sales engine across all routes to market, and I’m excited to leverage my deep channel experience to work closely with our extended ecosystem to drive customer success globally. We have an amazing opportunity to make a difference in the marketplace, and I look forward to partnering with our teams to drive the company’s next phase of growth.”
VMware Executive Departures Continue
Meanwhile, Reese joins a growing list VMware executive departures amid that company's pending sale to Broadcom. Additional departures include:
- Senior VP of Global Support Karen Egan;
- Head of Cybersecurity Strategy Tom Kellermann;
- Chief Revenue Officer Sandy Hogan; and
- Director of Sales for Asia Pacific Region Sangeeta Giri.
