Avant Promotes 4, Plans Hiring Increase

Avant Communications announced promotions among its leadership.

The Chicago-based master agent announced four promotions and promised significant personnel growth in 2021. The company said it expects to hire 20-40 people and expand its roster of inside channel managers.

Avant’s Rick Reed

Bana Qashu, Isaiah Hogberg, Rick Reed and Rob Merhej now serve as regional vice presidents for their respective areas.

Reed, based in Dallas/Fort Worth, oversees the Central region. Reed joined the master agent three years ago, after stints at AT&T and Channel Partners.

Avant’s Bana Qashu

Qashu oversees the East region. She has worked at Avant since 2016, having started as a senior partner manager and advancing to regional vice president of sales. She formerly worked for Birch Communications and NetFortris.

Avant’s Rob Merhej

Rob Merhej oversees the United Kingdom and EMEA. He has worked at Avant for five years and launched the company’s presence in the U.K./EMEA.

Isaiah Hogberg, a 10-year veteran of ViaWest/Flexential, oversees the West. He has worked at Avant since 2017.

A Rising Tide

Avant’s Isaiah Hogberg

Avant president Drew Lydecker thanked the four individuals for contributing to the firm’s ongoing “hyper growth.”

“Every good company needs to go through consistent evolution, and by elevating these four standout channel sales drivers, we are setting the table for future success,” Lydecker said. “Our people are everything at Avant. These [regional] VP titles provide more opportunity for our leaders as they strive for bigger and better ways to support our trusted adviser community.”

Avant last year tapped Shane McNamara and Jen Gallego, both former members of XO Communications, to bigger roles within its leadership structure.

Avant last week unveiled its State of Disruption study. The company also announced that its partnership with Zoom has gone platinum.