Former Brocade (BRCD) channel chief Bill Lipsin has been appointed as vice president of Worldwide Channel Sales at Netapp (NTAP), responsible for overseeing the company’s channel strategy.

Lipsin, who served as vice president of Global Channels and Systems Integrators at Brocade prior to his appointment, will report to Thomas Stanley, senior vice president of Netapp’s Global Partner Sales and Alliances division.

“I’m extremely excited to have Bill join NetApp as our new channel chief. He is a respected and connected channel leader with a deep understanding of the channel’s evolving needs,” said Stanley, in a statement. “I’m confident Bill will provide the focus, expertise and innovative thinking required to deliver a world-class channel experience and drive new levels of growth for NetApp and its partners.”

Netapp said it plans to leverage Lipsin’s appointment as channel chief to unveil several new investments centered on improving partner profitability and boosting its marketing and customer engagement initiatives. Planned investments include doubling the company’s global partner marketing resources and expanding demand and lead generation initiatives surround the company’s Data ONTAP operating system, according to the announcement.

“This is a pivotal year for NetApp. As a company we will need to focus on optimizing our channel visibility to demonstrate to our partners the strength of our commitment,” said Lipsin. “Our partners want to see NetApp succeed and they want to succeed with us.”