Commvault appoints Alan Atkinson & Michelle Graff to drive growth
Commvault has appointed Alan Atkinson as Chief Business Development Officer and Michelle Graff as Senior Vice President of Global Partners and Channel.
Leadership changes
Alan Atkinson, who has held various positions at Commvault, will now serve as the company's first Chief Business Development Officer. In this capacity, Atkinson will develop strategic partnerships within technology and security, drive co-development projects, and identify new opportunities for Commvault and its partners. He will report to Danielle Sheer, Chief Trust Officer, leading the Business Development organisation.
Michelle Graff, recently recruited by Commvault, will take on the role of Senior Vice President of Global Partners and Channel. She will be responsible for driving the company's partner strategy and managing global sales, resellers, alliances, and the execution of Commvault's partner programmes. Graff's focus will include fostering growth with partners and advancing the company's cloud and AI-based solutions.
Industry experience
Graff joins Commvault with more than 25 years' experience in partner leadership roles across the technology sector. Most recently, she was Vice President of Global Channel Sales and Alliances at Securiti.ai, with previous roles at companies such as HashiCorp, Pure Storage, and Palo Alto Networks. Her experience includes building and scaling indirect revenue channels and leading sales and alliance teams in the cybersecurity and storage industries.
"As more companies move to the cloud, embrace AI strategies, and adopt industry-leading cyber resilience solutions, Commvault and our partners are more relevant than ever," said Graff. "I'm excited to collaborate with our partners to deliver even more value to enterprises globally, accelerate customer acquisition, and create opportunities for business growth."
Atkinson expressed confidence in the role of partnerships for achieving cyber resilience objectives. He said, "Cyber resilience is a shared challenge, and no single vendor can solve it alone. With Michelle leading our global partner organisation, my new role will focus on extending Commvault's capabilities across a broader partner ecosystem. I'll also focus on creating new co-development opportunities that deliver exceptional value to customers and partners alike."
Gary Merrill, Commvault's Chief Commercial Officer, commented on the organisation's new leadership structure, stating, "With Alan and Michelle in these pivotal roles, we can boost partner success, extend our reach, and delight customers with co-developed solutions that keep enterprises resilient."
Strategic priorities
Commvault's appointments signal a focus on strengthening its ecosystem of channel partners and alliances. The leadership shifts are expected to underpin the company's stated aim of supporting partner-driven growth and enhancing product and service offerings that address the needs of customers adopting cloud and AI solutions as part of their cyber resilience strategies.
Graff's task will be to advance the company's global partner programme and create conditions for co-innovation with partners. Atkinson, meanwhile, will centre his attention on expanding technology and security collaborations to help develop new products and services for Commvault customers and partners.
The changes in leadership reflect Commvault's commitment to evolving its approach as organisations worldwide continue to increase their reliance on cloud platforms and data protection amid growing cyber security challenges.
