DataCore brings in new sales boss amid claims of "unrest"

Bjarne Poulsen replaces long-standing sales director who leaves after eight years

Storage vendor DataCore has replaced its long-serving northern Europe sales director amid claims from its channel partners that there is "unrest" within the company.

Departing director Keith Joseph, who has been at the firm for eight years, is set to be replaced by former Brocades sales boss Bjarne Poulsen, who will head up the sales team in the UK and Ireland as well as the Nordic and Middle East regions, and will take on the role immediately.

A DataCore reseller, who wished to remain anonymous, said the sudden new face in the role suggests "unrest" to partners, which are concerned about what the newcomer has been brought in to do and whether he will bring in his own recruits as well.

The vendor said that it could make no comment on individual staff movements but said that Poulsen's appointment coincides with its UK growth plans.

Poulsen joins the software firm following various channel roles including managing director for Hitachi Data Systems, which he held for 15 years. He also led Brocade's sales team in the northern European region for four and a half years more recently.

DataCore said the northern Europe region is becoming key in its growth strategy and Poulsen added he was hoping to build on the area's growing customer base.

"We already have more than 500 customers in the region and, with the growing wave of virtualisation adoption, more and more customers are now looking to DataCore. It's an exciting challenge that I am looking forward to embracing."

Last year, the vendor's EMEA channel leader claimed that the UK business had suffered a spate of "bad luck" due to market consolidation, and its UK branch overhauled its distribution strategy.