ConvergeOne Hires John DeLozier Just Weeks After Sudden Intelisys Departure
After stunning the industry with his sudden decision to step down as president of Intelisys just a few weeks ago, channel leader John DeLozier has emerged in a new role — chief revenue officer of ConvergeOne (C1), the billion-dollar behemoth boasting 10,000 customers and 5,600 technical certifications held by thousands of engineers.
In a Channel Futures exclusive, ConvergeOne confirmed DeLozier will assume the CRO role immediately, reporting to CEO Jeffrey Russell. Russell is the former president of Accenture Canada and senior managing director who took over as ConvergeOne’s chief executive nine months ago as part of a move by the company’s private-equity backers to transform the company. The company said DeLozier will be responsible for driving and maximizing revenue growth across C1’s portfolio of customer experience, security and networking solutions and leading the C1 sales organization.
DeLozier has amassed more than 25 years of experience driving channel programs, sales teams and strategic growth strategies at Intelisys, 8×8, CenturyLink, Unify and others, resulting in double-digit, year-over-year growth. His depth of expertise and world-class, go-to-market execution capabilities as well as his experience building high-growth sales teams will bolster C1’s position as an industry leader as it embarks on its next phase of growth, the company said.
| Be sure to read Channel Futures’ Q&A with John DeLozier, covering his thoughts on his new job and his answer to our question about him leaving ScanSource/Intelisys. |
John DeLozier: ‘Relationship Building’ a Talent
“This role is really well suited for me,” DeLozier said. “C1 has gone through lots of acquisitions. If there is any talent that I have, it is all about relationship building and relationships, period — building a team built for business that is motivated and culturally knit together and outperforms everyone else.”
ConvergeOne’s Jeffrey Russell
“John’s reputation as a highly respected, people-first leader will support C1’s commitment to unlock our customers’ growth by delivering elevated customer and human experiences,” said CEO Russell, in a statement provided to Channel Futures. “We have significant, exciting opportunities in the market, and with J.D. at the helm of our sales team, we are better positioned than ever to scale our products and solutions and deepen our customer relationships with transformative technologies.”
Call it the Sunbelt connection, but in an interesting twist, although C1 is based in Bloomington, Minnesota, Russell lives in Miami and DeLozier is based in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area. Their homes are about 30 minutes apart from one another. This will also be an interesting turn for DeLozier, who has been a relentless champion of channel partners in his leadership roles at vendors, tech suppliers and distributors. He will now walk in the very shoes of those he helped guide or provide services and products to throughout the years.
“It feels like a new pair of high-tech shoes but ones that are comfortable. I have worn them before, but it is just a little different now. It is like coming home for me because this is how I started. I now get to go back to where it all began,’ DeLozier told Channel Futures.
DeLozier succeeds D. Robert Martin, C1’s president of sales, who is retiring after more than 20 years in the technology industry. Prior to spending the past three years at ConvergeOne, he played key sales and channel roles at Red Hat as vice president, North America sales, and Cisco, where he rose to vice president, global channels, VCE. Martin will continue to lead the sales team through the third quarter to ensure a smooth transition, the company said.
“This is an exciting and important moment to join C1 and lead its sales organization,” DeLozier said in a statement. “I believe in the team and its vision of elevating customer and team experiences while removing boundaries to create deeper and more secure, scalable and human connections. I look forward to working with the sales team and the entire C1 organization and its partners to maximize our potential as a builder of value and enabler of growth for our customers and their customers.”
What is ConvergeOne?
ConvergeOne, also known as C1, boasts a leading position as …
