CA’s Quinn Steps Down from Channel Post

Gary Quinn, CA’s channel chief since July, announced his departure from the company on Sept. 7, just a few weeks after officially taking the helm.

George Kafkarkou, senior vice president of partner recruitment and worldwide commercial product sales, will take Quinn’s responsibilities until a replacement can be found, CA said. Kafkarkou previously headed CA’s European Channel.

Quinn “has decided to leave CA to spend more time with his family,” Mike Christenson, CA’s chief operating officer said in a letter sent Sept. 7 to CA staff.

CA will focus channel marketing on a limited product set. Click here to read more.

Quinn will remain with the company “for a short period of time to assist in an orderly transition,” Christenson said.

Kafkarkou, in his 24th year at CA, tried to assuage concerns about any disruption Quinn’s departure might cause to the organization or CA’s relationship with partners.

“It will be more of the same,” Kafkarkou said. “Gary [Quinn] and I set this [program] up, and there will be no changes here. The metrics will stay the same. The philosophy will stay the same.”

No decision has been made as to who Quinn’s permanent successor will be.

Quinn, a 20-year veteran of the enterprise software firm, assumed channel duties in July as CA reorganized the partner program under a single umbrella and elevated its prominence.

The organization had been split between enterprise and SMB (small and midsize business) groups, and each existed within the larger sales organizations of those product segments. Kafkarkou led the SMB group, while the enterprise group was led by James Hanley.

Quinn had been channel chief previously, the last time the organization was structured under a single umbrella.