Before we head into 2026, Channel Insider has one more leadership recap for the month of December.
The end of this last quarter has brought about a number of C-Suite changes and channel leadership shifts to scale growth and innovation. Check them out below:
The new channel-focused leadership at Darktrace, Versa Networks, and more
Shield Technology Partners appoints Jim Siders as CEO
Shield Technology, a managed service provider (MSP) platform, has named Jim Siders as its CEO, following more than a dozen years at Palantir.
“AI is rewriting the economics of service delivery at the exact time IT service providers are rethinking how they operate,” said Siders. “Shield is this incredible combination of long-term vision, technological expertise, and operational know-how that I think makes it perfect for this moment in time. We have lightning in a bottle.”
While CIO at Palantir, Siders oversaw global IT operations, infrastructure, and business applications.
“Jim has been one of the early advocates for getting engineers to work directly alongside their customers,” said Anuj Mehndiratta, a member of the Thrive Holdings founding team. “He has been in the shoes of our partners and understands intuitively what their customers want.”
Lightbeam appoints new channel leader
Lightbeam named Matthew Kelly as its new director of channel and alliances to scale the organization’s channel program and advance DSPM and data governance strategies.
Kelly comes over from CrowdStrike, where he helped build the company’s channel organization.
“Lightbeam’s future growth depends on the strength of our partnerships,” said Mike Gesnaldo, CRO at Lightbeam. “As we continue to define the DSPM category and secure access to sensitive data, our partners are paramount to how customers adopt and scale identity-centric data security. Matthew’s experience and leadership will play a key role in building a world-class partner ecosystem and driving mutual success.”
Kelly highlights a strategy to enhance Lightbeam’s existing partner program by adding new enablement paths for MSSPs, GSIs, and technology alliances.
“First and foremost for me, it’s about being clear, collaborative, and protective,” said Kelly, in an interview with Channel Insider. “We want our partners to feel like an extension of our own teams. They need to say, ‘I feel confident that I’m protected and the teams have my interest in mind.’”
Darktrace appoints Wendy Komadina as VP ANZ
Wendy Komadina has been named Darktrace’s new VP, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), to support the company’s next phase of growth in the region.
“I’m truly honored to join Darktrace at a moment when it’s driving a global partner-first strategy, and I’m excited to grow its footprint across Australia and New Zealand,” said Komadina. “Cyber risk has never been more present on boardroom agendas. Our role is to work closely with our customers to address their security challenges from securing their network, to their email inboxes, through to their cloud environments. It’s complex and we’re here to support customers on that journey. Cybersecurity is a team sport and we intend to work closely with our strategic partners and alliances to support our customers in tackling the ever-evolving threat landscape.”
Komadina will be charged with leading a targeted go-to-market strategy focused on defending organizations prone to sophisticated threats.
She brings previous experience as Vice President of Partner Sales APJ at Cloudflare, as well as senior leadership roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, and Microsoft.
Versa appoints Head of Channel & Field Marketing, Americas
Versa Networks, a networking and security solutions provider, has named Dianne Bruno as the company’s new Head of Channel and Field Marketing, Americas.
“As innovation and threats accelerate in the AI era, partners are looking for a SASE provider that not only leads in technology, but also shows up with industry-leading programs, competitive economics, and joint marketing support,” said Bruno. “Versa’s unified networking and security platform, combined with its momentum in the market, creates a powerful opportunity for our partners across the Americas.”
Bruno has over 20 years of experience in the channel, previously serving as Global Director of Channel Marketing at Cato Networks, along with several roles at VMware, including Global Channel Management Leader, Programs and Partner Operations, VMware SASE. Additionally, she has held several high-level positions at Cisco, including Director of Partner Marketing.
Several revenue and financial leaders find new roles
Graylog names Jorda Cire as CFO
Provider of SIEM and log management solutions, Graylog, has named Jorda (Jody) Cire Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Cire will oversee the organization’s global financial operations, such as capital planning, budgeting, mergers and acquisitions, and organizational scaling.
“I’m excited to join Graylog at this dynamic stage of growth,” said Cire. “The company has a compelling mission, strong leadership, and a vibrant culture rooted in transparency, teamwork, and innovation. I look forward to helping scale the business with financial discipline and to positioning Graylog for continued growth and strategic success.”
Additionally, Cire will serve as an advisor to the CEO and Board for strategy and value creation.
Before joining Graylog, Cire served as CFO at InterVision Systems until its acquisition by NWN Corporation. He also held CFO positions at Prescott’s Inc., AllCloud, and LogRhythm.
Joe Vranicar appointed Storyblok CRO
Storyblok, an enterprise CMS, has named Joe Vranicar its new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).
“We are experiencing a massive transformation in content that is happening faster than anyone could have imagined,” said Vranicar. “Content has become just as important as other business-critical data, but brands don’t have confidence that their content is accurate and visible across AI search and all of the platforms that are important to them. Storyblok has seen strong growth over a prolonged period of time because of the value we deliver in these areas and the core product experience that brings joy to developers and marketers. We’re just getting started with the growth potential we have.”
Before joining Storyblok, Vranicar served as Vice President and General Manager at Kong and as CRO at Datrium. Additionally, has held senior sales leadership roles at organizations such as Automation Anywhere, Sprinklr, and AWS.
Portal26 appoints Rick O’Rourke as CRO
Portal26, a generative AI adoption management platform, has found its new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) in industry vet Rick O’Rourke.
O’Rourke will be charged with overseeing Portal26’s revenue operations, such as sales, customer success, and partnerships.
“I am so proud to add highly proven industry veteran Rick O’Rourke to the Portal26 executive team. Rick brings a rare combination of strategic insight, operational rigor, and deep understanding of enterprise software go-to-market dynamics,” said Arti Raman, CEO of Portal26. “As we expand our customer base and product capabilities, his leadership will be instrumental in scaling our business to the next level.”
O’Rourke has been advising enterprise software businesses since 2014. He has previously served as a Managing Director with Vista Consulting Group and as an Operating Partner with Noble Rock Advisors.
Zimperium appoints Alistaire Davidson as CFO
Mobile security provider Zimperium has announced Alistaire Davidson as Chief Financial Officer.
Davidson has over 20 years of finance leadership experience and most recently served as Regional CFO, Americas at The Access Group. He has also held finance leadership roles at AVEVA.
“Alistaire’s deep financial expertise and proven ability to scale global software organizations make him a strong addition to our leadership team,” said Shridhar Mittal, CEO of Zimperium. “As demand for mobile security continues to accelerate worldwide, his leadership will be instrumental in guiding Zimperium through our next phase of growth.”
Alistaire will oversee financial strategy, planning, operations, and performance management to support the company’s global expansion.
HackerOne appoints new CRO and CMO
Leader in Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM), HackerOne, recently announced the appointment of two new executives to its team: Stephanie Furfaro as CRO and Stacy Leidwinger as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
In her new position, Furfaro will lead global revenue-generating functions spanning sales, customer success, and partnerships. Furfaro brings over 25 years of experience with global go-to-market strategies and has previously served as Chief Business Officer at Rapid7.
“HackerOne is redefining how organizations stay secure in an increasingly autonomous, AI-driven threat landscape,” said Furfaro. “I’m excited to join a company that pairs deep human expertise with cutting-edge AI to deliver meaningful customer impact. Building on HackerOne’s strong partner ecosystem will be central to expanding our reach and empowering more organizations to proactively manage their risk.”
Leidwinger, meanwhile, will oversee global marketing functions, such as brand, product marketing, growth marketing, channel and field marketing, and sales development. She most recently served as CMO at Secureworks.
“Stephanie and Stacy join HackerOne at a pivotal moment for our company and the cybersecurity industry,” said Kara Sprague, CEO of HackerOne. “As AI reshapes the threat landscape and modern defense, Stephanie’s experience scaling global revenue organizations and Stacy’s leadership in brand and growth marketing will strengthen every part of our go-to-market engine. Together, they will accelerate growth by delivering our full Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) value proposition to more enterprise customers.”
Other executve moves include new leadership at Mozilla, Bluehost, and more
Mozilla revamps C-suite with new CEO and CMO
Mozilla, known for its Firefox web browser, has appointed Anthony Enzor-DeMeo as CEO and John Solomon as its new CMO.
Enzor-DeMeo was promoted to CEO after previously serving as General Manager of Firefox, leading the browser’s strategy.
“No other consumer technology company combines Mozilla’s global reach, technical credibility, and long-standing reputation for independence,” said Mark Surman, President of Mozilla. “Anthony understands that trust is more than a brand promise, it’s something you earn through how products are built, how data is handled, and how clearly users understand what’s happening. That’s the future we’re building toward.”
Enzor-DeMeo steps in for Laura Chambers, who has served as the interim CEO over the past two years.
“During my time at Mozilla, I saw how much opportunity exists when you put users in control. Anthony is the leader who will turn that opportunity into impact,” said Chambers. “He knows how to build modern, trusted software and how to scale it. Mozilla is in strong hands.”
Solomon, stepping in as CMO, has held previous leadership positions at Therabody, Apple, and Beats. He’ll be charged with leading Mozilla’s global marketing and communications teams.
“I remember the moment I first encountered the internet as a kid at the Exploratorium in San Francisco – I was mesmerized,” said Solomon. “We’re now at the brink of a shift that may be even bigger. As I think about the world my son will grow up in, I want it to be one where he can explore, learn, and create safely. Mozilla is already doing the work that will make that future possible, and I’m honored to help tell those stories – not just for my son, but for people everywhere.”
Bluehost appoints Antonis Papatsaras as CTO
Web hosting organization, Bluehost, has announced that Antonis Papatsaras will be the company’s new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead AI innovation for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
Papatsaras will lead Bluehost’s technology and innovation strategies, overseeing product architecture, customer experience technology, data strategy, and AI capabilities.
“Bluehost is rapidly evolving into a next-generation, AI-native SaaS platform built for SMBs,” said Sachin Puri, CEO of Bluehost. “With a strong and expanding executive team, we are accelerating innovation to deliver secure, high-performing, and cost that SMBs need. Antonis brings deep expertise in cloud, AI, and scalable systems, and I’m thrilled to welcome him as we build the future of our platform for small businesses.”
In his new role, Papatsaras brings more than 27 years of experience with him in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, scalable architecture, and AI. He previously served as CTO at Hootsuite.
“Iconic brands aren’t built by technology alone, they’re built through millions of meaningful customer moments,” said Papatsaras. “As Bluehost enters the agentic AI era, our opportunity is to reduce friction, increase guidance, and deliver better outcomes; evolving AI from isolated tools into trusted partners that help small businesses succeed across their entire digital journey.”
Singular AI appoints a new Strategic Advisor
Singulr AI, an AI security and governance organization, has announced that it has named Bask Iyer as Strategic Advisor.
Iyer, a former VMware and Dell CIO, will help Singulr customers put guardrails in place early as enterprises face this new transitional phase.
“We know that there is no point in closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Now is the time for IT professionals to implement and enable agentic AI in enterprises,” said Iyer. “Agents are being created for every function with or without the CIO’s approval. It is non-negotiable to have a governance platform like Singulr AI now, before the problem becomes unmanageable.”
Iyer’s previous experience includes serving as CIO and Chief Digital Transformation Officer for both VMware and Dell Technologies, leading IT and digital strategy through the Dell-EMC merger and VMware’s cloud transformation.
He also held CIO roles at Juniper Networks, Honeywell, and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
Lisa Haubenstock named new CCO at Gravvty
Gravvty, a provider of AI-powered engagement solutions for higher education, recently appointed Lisa Haubenstock as Chief Customer Officer (CCO), leading the organization’s customer experience strategy, unifying support, implementation, and customer success.
“Customer experience is central to Gravvty’s future,” said Justin Beck, CEO of Gravvty. “Lisa’s track record and operational rigor and her deep understanding of higher education will accelerate our cultural reset, and help deliver consistent, measurable value for our institutional partners.”
Haubenstock brings with her more than 20 years of higher education and SaaS leadership experience across customer success, operations, professional services, support, and learning and development. She previously held roles at EverFi, Amazon, and Truckstop.
Another year in the books for the channel, bringing about new opportunities for leaders in the space. In case you missed out, catch up on November’s leadership news to see who moved where.
