ConnectWise has hired Blackbaud and Microsoft veteran Amy Lucia as chief marketing officer (CMO). Lucia joins ConnectWise amid major people, process and product strategy updates at the MSP software provider.
Prior to ConnectWise, Lucia was VP of corporate marketing at Blackbaud, a major SaaS application provider focused on non-profit organizations, higher education, foundations and other "social good" organizations. Earlier, Lucia spent 11 years at Microsoft -- where her responsibilities included U.S. channel marketing supporting recruitment, enablement, and revenue generation across an ecosystem of nearly 400,000 partners, ConnectWise says.
Remaking ConnectWise: People, Process, Product
Led by CEO Jason Magee, the ConnectWise executive team has become more diverse and now features more executives who have SaaS and cloud experience. Many of the executives arrived after private equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired ConnectWise in February 2019 and then tucked Continuum into the business in November 2019.
Still, some MSPs have been frustrated with ConnectWise's product support following the software company's ownership transition and multiple tuck-in acquisitions. To address those concerns, ConnectWise in recent months has hired aggressively to improve customer support.
Indeed, ConnectWise CEO Jason Magee shared specific headcount figures and strategy steps in a recent ChannelE2E interview (stay tuned for a more detailed recap of that interview soon).
On the product front, ConnectWise plans to modernize its software stack by leverage Continuum's underlying software foundation for key updates. The result will strive to offer a more seamless experience for MSPs, thought the platform modernization will take time to develop and roll out. It's a safe bet some details will emerge at the IT Nation Connect 2021 conference, which is scheduled for November.
ConnectWise Hires Amy Lucia as CMO: Executive Perspectives
In a prepared statement about ConnectWise's business and Lucia joining the company, Magee said:
“ConnectWise is bullish about ushering the next season of growth and value creation for our partners; and bringing a proven and accomplished CMO onboard will ensure we effectively bring our unique, differentiated value proposition to the market. Amy is the most partner experience-focused CMO you can ask for and the depth and breadth of her understanding of channel marketing and partner programs will be incredibly impactful in driving growth for our partners.”
Added Lucia:
“I’m thrilled to come back to a role serving the partner ecosystem that I have deeply admired and respected for many years. There is a massive opportunity to equip, empower and bring transformative value to TSPs and drive their growth as they support the SMB market, and there is no SaaS provider better positioned and more committed than ConnectWise to do this. The potential is limitless, and I want to personally thank the partners who have already welcomed me so warmly by sharing feedback, brainstorming and vision-casting with me.”
Also of major note: Lucia is a member of ConnectWise’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and was a Founding Member of Blackbaud’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Council and Member of its Senior Women’s Leadership Council.
