The channel is all about people - and we're tracking who they are, what they're doing, and where they're making an impact. Instead of sprinkling these people-focused announcements across various roundups, we're pulling them all together into one weekly story.
And here are the people moves we've tracked during the week of November 03 - November 07.WatchGuard names Joe Smolarski as CEO: Former Kaseya executive Joe Smolarski has been appointed CEO to lead WatchGuard’s next phase of growth and innovation. With more than 25 years of experience scaling global technology firms, Smolarski will focus on strengthening WatchGuard’s Unified Security Platform and deepening its MSP partnerships. He previously helped drive Kaseya’s tenfold revenue growth by uniting teams, technologies, and partners under a single platform vision.
Ensono names Bill Stith as Executive Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing: Former IBM and HPE executive Bill Stith has joined Ensono to lead global sales and marketing strategy. With decades of experience driving growth and digital transformation across enterprise technology firms, Stith will focus on expanding Ensono’s market reach, unifying sales and marketing operations, and strengthening partnerships to accelerate the company’s hybrid IT and modernization vision.Nozomi Networks expands global partner leadership team: The OT and IoT security company has appointed Matthew Cowell as Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Tyson Gerhold as Vice President of Global Partner and Channel Sales. Cowell, formerly with Dragos, will focus on building new technology and OEM alliances, while Gerhold, previously with Fivetran and Pure Storage, will lead channel strategy and global partner growth. The appointments strengthen Nozomi’s partner-first strategy following the launch of its Vanguard Partner Program and expanded collaborations with Schneider Electric and NVIDIA.Google hires former Microsoft channel leader David Smith: Longtime Microsoft executive David Smith has joined Google after nearly 30 years with the Redmond giant, where he most recently served as vice president of worldwide channel sales overseeing more than $100 billion in partner-driven revenue. At Google, Smith will focus on expanding the company’s global partner ecosystem and accelerating customer impact through AI and cloud innovation. He called the opportunity “massive,” emphasizing his goal to work closely with Google Partners to scale value and help customers unlock their full potential.Equinix names Douglas Merrill as Chief Information Security Officer: Douglas Merrill, former Google CIO and McKinsey partner, has been appointed CISO at Equinix. With more than three decades of experience leading technology transformation and security strategy, Merrill will oversee global information security operations and risk management, ensuring trust and resilience across Equinix’s digital infrastructure. After serving as interim CISO, he now steps into the role permanently to drive a security-first approach that embeds protection and innovation into every layer of the company’s platform.Aqua Security announces leadership transition: Co-founders Dror Davidoff and Amir Jerbi are stepping back from their day-to-day roles, with Mike Dube appointed as CEO and Nir Makowski named Chief Product and Technology Officer. Dube, formerly Aqua’s president and CRO, brings nearly 30 years of experience from leadership roles at CrowdStrike, Splunk, and Check Point. The transition marks the next phase of Aqua’s growth as it scales its Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) to meet rising global demand for AI-driven and cloud-native security solutions.Coralogix names Chetan Chaudhary as Chief Revenue Officer: Former Scale AI and Twilio executive Chetan Chaudhary has joined Coralogix to lead global sales, marketing, partnerships, and customer success. A former board member of the company, Chaudhary brings over 20 years of experience scaling revenue organizations and driving enterprise growth. His appointment comes as Coralogix accelerates adoption of its AI-powered observability platform, Olly, and prepares for its next stage of expansion in the hybrid and multi-cloud market.
And here are the people moves we've tracked during the week of November 03 - November 07.WatchGuard names Joe Smolarski as CEO: Former Kaseya executive Joe Smolarski has been appointed CEO to lead WatchGuard’s next phase of growth and innovation. With more than 25 years of experience scaling global technology firms, Smolarski will focus on strengthening WatchGuard’s Unified Security Platform and deepening its MSP partnerships. He previously helped drive Kaseya’s tenfold revenue growth by uniting teams, technologies, and partners under a single platform vision.
Ensono names Bill Stith as Executive Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing: Former IBM and HPE executive Bill Stith has joined Ensono to lead global sales and marketing strategy. With decades of experience driving growth and digital transformation across enterprise technology firms, Stith will focus on expanding Ensono’s market reach, unifying sales and marketing operations, and strengthening partnerships to accelerate the company’s hybrid IT and modernization vision.Nozomi Networks expands global partner leadership team: The OT and IoT security company has appointed Matthew Cowell as Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Tyson Gerhold as Vice President of Global Partner and Channel Sales. Cowell, formerly with Dragos, will focus on building new technology and OEM alliances, while Gerhold, previously with Fivetran and Pure Storage, will lead channel strategy and global partner growth. The appointments strengthen Nozomi’s partner-first strategy following the launch of its Vanguard Partner Program and expanded collaborations with Schneider Electric and NVIDIA.Google hires former Microsoft channel leader David Smith: Longtime Microsoft executive David Smith has joined Google after nearly 30 years with the Redmond giant, where he most recently served as vice president of worldwide channel sales overseeing more than $100 billion in partner-driven revenue. At Google, Smith will focus on expanding the company’s global partner ecosystem and accelerating customer impact through AI and cloud innovation. He called the opportunity “massive,” emphasizing his goal to work closely with Google Partners to scale value and help customers unlock their full potential.Equinix names Douglas Merrill as Chief Information Security Officer: Douglas Merrill, former Google CIO and McKinsey partner, has been appointed CISO at Equinix. With more than three decades of experience leading technology transformation and security strategy, Merrill will oversee global information security operations and risk management, ensuring trust and resilience across Equinix’s digital infrastructure. After serving as interim CISO, he now steps into the role permanently to drive a security-first approach that embeds protection and innovation into every layer of the company’s platform.Aqua Security announces leadership transition: Co-founders Dror Davidoff and Amir Jerbi are stepping back from their day-to-day roles, with Mike Dube appointed as CEO and Nir Makowski named Chief Product and Technology Officer. Dube, formerly Aqua’s president and CRO, brings nearly 30 years of experience from leadership roles at CrowdStrike, Splunk, and Check Point. The transition marks the next phase of Aqua’s growth as it scales its Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) to meet rising global demand for AI-driven and cloud-native security solutions.Coralogix names Chetan Chaudhary as Chief Revenue Officer: Former Scale AI and Twilio executive Chetan Chaudhary has joined Coralogix to lead global sales, marketing, partnerships, and customer success. A former board member of the company, Chaudhary brings over 20 years of experience scaling revenue organizations and driving enterprise growth. His appointment comes as Coralogix accelerates adoption of its AI-powered observability platform, Olly, and prepares for its next stage of expansion in the hybrid and multi-cloud market.
