IT Executive’s notable Moves :October 2015

Start It Off

September was a slow month for executive moves, and October followed suit. But there were still some big-name executives jumping ship or competitors snatching high-level leaders from their rivals last month. Companies that saw headline-grabbing changes included Symantec, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Accenture, Citrix and VMware. Not many of the executives who left companies said where they were headed — which should make for an interesting few months to come.

Take a look at some of the moves that made waves in the channel last month.

Adrian Jones

After helping Symantec launch an invigorated approach to the channel at its Partner Engage event last month, Adrian Jones, executive vice president and general manager of global sales, left the vendor. The company declined to say the cause, but confirmed the move. Jones has been replaced by John Sorensen, senior vice president of Americas sales, in the interim. Jones joined Symantec in June 2014 as senior vice president of Asia and was promoted to lead worldwide sales eight months ago. Partners CRN spoke to at the time said the departure was concerning to them, as they had started looking at joining the Symantec partner ranks because of Jones’ influence as a channel-friendly leader.
Julie Larson-Green

Longtime Microsoft executive Julie Larson-Green has a new role at the software vendor. Last month, Larson-Green was tapped to manage the company’s Office client applications and services team, adding to her role as chief experience officer for Microsoft’s services group. She replaces Corporate Vice President Kirk Koenigsbauer, who will now be working in the Applications and Services Group. Larson-Green joined Microsoft in 1993 as a program manager and has also served as executive vice president of Microsoft’s Windows Division and executive vice president of the Devices and Studios Group.