Matt Johnson VP Engineering, Hedvig

Hedvig, Inc. announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Matt Johnson as VP of engineering, Phil Williams as VP of business development and channels and Darrell Billings as senior director of global support.

These three industry veterans bring track records of customer success from companies including NetApp, Dell and EMC and will contribute to Hedvig’s next stage of growth.

“Our team is thrilled to welcome Matt, Phil and Darrell to Hedvig,” said Avinash Lakshman, CEO, Hedvig. “Since our company debut in March 2015, customer demand for our technology has put us on a fast track for growth, and these new additions to the executive team are key during this rapid expansion. Matt, Phil and Darrell bring extensive experience from both established companies as well as start-ups in the storage space. They will help us scale, maintain a high quality experience for our customers, and continue to build the best software-defined storage platform on the market.”

Matt Johnson has been a senior engineering executive for 15 years, with almost five of those years recently leading the file services teams at NetApp. His experience managing large teams and developing quality products is a natural fit for his new role at Hedvig where he’ll run product strategy and vision alongside CEO Avinash Lakshman. In addition, he will focus on building on the engineering team’s collaborative culture and recruiting new talent as the company scales.

Phil Williams is qualified to further develop the partnership strategy, having 13 years of experience in building server, ISV and channel partnerships. He has helped traditional storage companies like Dell, NetApp and Kaminario, as well as software-focused companies such as DataCore Software, form strategic alliances to further their business development interests. At Hedvig, he will run global strategy for technology, reseller and distribution alliances.

Darrell Billings has 14 years of experience bringing support to IT and storage organizations. He helped build the support team at Data Domain before transitioning into a leadership role at EMC after the company was acquired. Having been in the support function at both traditional storage and software-defined storage organizations, he is well-equipped to ensure Hedvig’s people, processes, and technology deliver the best possible experience for customers.