Avaya gets the Veit man for EMEA role

Vendor brings in former Cisco and SonicWALL executive for distribution job

Avaya's vice president of worldwide channels Jeremy Butt

Communications vendor Avaya has added another former Cisco executive to its management lineup after recruiting Thomas Veit as director of distribution for EMEA.

The New Jersey-based firm has welcomed an abundance of recruits into management roles over the past 12 months. The vendor has also redoubled its focus on the channel of late and has stated its desire to bring in 90 per cent of its revenue indirectly.

A number of the new faces seem to reflect the strategic shift with many coming from channel-centric backgrounds. Veit arrives from SonicWALL, where he served as EMEA senior director of sales operations and emerging markets. He has also held pan-EMEA roles with Ingram Micro and Cisco.

He now assumes responsibility for Avaya's distribution strategy across the region and will report directly to vice president of worldwide channels Jeremy Butt, another former Cisco executive who joined the company in June.

Butt said: “As Avaya increases its channel centricity and revenues through its partner ecosystem, it is critical to ensure that its distribution model matches its partners’ growing needs. Thomas [Veit] brings a legacy of solid expertise in distribution strategies, and will help Avaya expand its channel relevance and responsiveness.”