Cisco crowns new EMEA boss - sources

Partners claim promotion of EMEA services boss Paalvast signals vendor's intentions to better integrate services into the channel

Cisco has made its EMEA services boss Edwin Paalvast president of EMEA, according to sources, who also claim the vendor has given its UK services lead additional responsibility for the channel.

As of Sunday, when CEO John Chambers hands the top job over to Chuck Robbins, Edwin Paalvast will become EMEA president, according to a letter sent to partners which was relayed to CRN.

Paalvast has led Cisco's services business in a number of roles since 2005 and is currently its senior vice president for service providers in EMEA. He takes over from Chris Dedicoat, who will assume the role of senior vice president for worldwide sales on Sunday.

In another indication Cisco is revving up its services business, CRN understands its UK senior director for services, Angela Whitty, has been given additional responsibility for the UK channel. Richard Roberts will retain his role as UK channel leader, but the channel will have extra, services-focused input from Whitty, sources claim.

Logicalis chief technology officer Chris Gabriel told CRN the moves to boost the services side of things are positive.

"They are trying to bring services and products together," he said. "They run the product and services businesses separately and the plan is to integrate that. It makes a lot of sense – we are a Cisco product and services partner; there is no gap."

Cisco was unavailable to comment at the time of publication.