McAfee continues to bulk up its channel leadership strength by appointing Cisco veteran Alex Thurber to the post of senior vice president of worldwide channel operations.

Thurber, who’s worked for Cisco for the better part of the last decade, succeeds Roger King, former executive vice president of sales, who left McAfee in May.

"We are pleased to welcome Alex to lead McAfee's growing channel organization," said Michael DeCesare, McAfee’s executive vice president of worldwide sales operations. "I am looking to leveraging his 17 years of network and security experience that has given him a deep understanding of what is required to build and grow a value-based channel. His hands-on experience in a worldwide 'best in class' channel organization along with his go-to-market expertise makes him an exceptional addition to our team.”

Thurber most recently served on Cisco’s channel Go To Market team under Edison Peres. He was responsible for channel strategies for security, wireless and emerging technologies, as well as integrating acquisitions into Cisco’s channel. Previously at Cisco, he’s held posts in the Far East, as well as product management positions in enterprise, commercial and public sector markets.

"McAfee's commitment to being a world-class channel company and its singular focus on security have proven successful in helping to empower the channel," said Thurber. "I'm excited for the opportunity to build upon this success and to drive the vision and leadership for the McAfee channel."

Thurber’s appointment is the second major executive move by McAfee this year. In May, McAfee appointed Fernando Quintero to head channels for the Americas; he previously served as head of operations and channels for McAfee’s South America region. The new leadership shores up the instability caused by the string of departures from McAfee’s channel leadership in the past year. Last fall, David Dickison suddenly departed his post as head of channels for North America. He was replaced by Lisa Loe, a former Symantec channel executive, but she departed the company after just three months on the job. King, who oversaw global channels, departed in May.

The appointments of Thurber and Quintero come at the same time that McAfee is shoring up its market position through new alliances and acquisitions. In the past year, McAfee has built new relationships with Hewlett-Packard and EMC, and acquired several companies, including Secure Computing. While chief rival Symantec is reporting down earnings and revenue, McAfee is boasting record quarterly growth.