New HDS EMEA Channels and Solutions Group

Hitachi Data Systems announces a series of organizational changes to its EMEA business, including a consolidation of the EMEA Channels team and the Solution Marketing & Business Development (SMBD) team.

The new team follows a matrix structure of product segment business units and horizontal functions and will provide leadership and support for the EMEA regional go-to-market teams. It also includes the creation of the EMEA CTO role, which is taken on by Bob Plumridge who will act as technical adviser for Hitachi Data Systems’ key accounts and channel partners.

Johannes Kunz, who takes on the role of Vice President EMEA Channels and Solutions GTM as part of the restructuring, comments: "We’re very excited about these changes. They will strengthen our position as not only an industry-leading storage solution expert but also as a strong collaborative partner for our entire ecosystem."

New Business Units

Enterprise Business Unit – Focused on extending market reach with the new Hitachi Data Systems Virtual Storage Platform.
Modular Business Unit – Driving continued market share growth by leveraging applications and strategic alliances as well as Hitachi Data Systems’ own File and Content solutions.
File & Content Services Business Unit – Focused on accelerating Hitachi Data Systems’ strategic investment in its solutions for unstructured data including Hitachi NAS and Hitachi Content Platform.
Compute Platform Business Unit – Developing Hitachi Data Systems’ new server business, using a SWAT team approach to achieve early wins, and build the field-level capability to rapidly scale the business.

Horizontal and Go-to-Market Functions

Indirect Channel – Driving EMEA Channel strategy, channel programs and enablement of key channel partners.
Strategic Marketing – Responsible for strategic business planning, driving the BU planning process as well as solution and alliance marketing, and leadership of key launches.
Operations – Responsible for both Channel and BU operations.