ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini has confirmed several executive updates -- including a new president, new chief product officer, and a newly created chief customer success officer (CCSO) position. Also of note, one of the company's senior VPs will be retiring this year.
The company, which develops business automation and IT management software for technology teams, solutions providers and MSPs, confirmed these executive updates:
- New President: Executive VP and COO Jason Magee has been promoted to president and COO. He continues to lead corporate strategy, operations and procurement. His expanded role also includes the product, customer success and IT Nation teams. Magee has been with the company since 2011, and has spent his entire career focused on the channel, ConnectWise notes. He succeeds co-founder and former President David Bellini, who exited the position in 2018.
- New Position - Chief Customer Success Officer (CCSO): Former Chief Product Officer Craig Fulton shifts to the newly created CCSO position. Fulton's mission: Build an entirely new team that is devoted to the success of ConnectWise customers worldwide, the company says. He will integrate the current support, consulting and onboarding teams into a unified Customer Success function, ConnectWise adds.
- New Chief Product Officer: VP of Ecosystem Jeff Bishop succeeds Fulton as CPO. Bishop, who has been with ConnectWise since 2015, will oversee product development and management, platform infrastructure and ecosystem technology. He previously was the founder Screen Connect, a remote support software product now known as ConnectWise Control.
Executives Partners Know
All three executives are well known within the IT Nation ecosystem, and highly visible at ConnectWise events and customer gatherings. The three moves are effective immediately, with Fulton and Bishop reporting directly to Magee, the company said.
Also of note: Kathy Smith, who most recently served as senior VP of services and education, is moving into an advisory role for ConnectWise as she prepares to retire in 2019. Arnie Bellini, in a prepared statement, praised Smith's contributions to the company:
“Kathy has been a trusted leader and mentor at ConnectWise for ten years, and I credit her and her team with the incredibly high customer satisfaction ratings we receive from our partners – which are consistently well over 90 percent. I thank Kathy for her amazing contributions, 110 percent dedication, and love for our partners.”
ConnectWise: The Bigger Picture
The executive moves come at a key time for ConnectWise. The company has been rounding out its IT automation and business management software for technology teams, solutions providers and MSPs. Among the most recent business moves:
- Late 2018: ConnectWise acquired HashInclude Computech, a cloud-centric software team that developed ConnectWise Unite.
- November 2018: ConnectWise acquired Sienna Group, a managed security services provider (MSSP) that brings education know-how to ConnectWise’s partner ecosystem.
- October 2018: The company invested in Perch Security, which offers self-service threat intelligence tools for MSPs and IT service providers.
ConnectWise's rivals have also been making acquisitions and executive moves. The latest noteworthy developments include Datto naming a new CEO, and Continuum acquiring BrightGauge.
Generally speaking, the overall MSP market remains strong, as do the broader IT automation and business management software sectors. Still, much of the market is private equity owned. ChannelE2E has been watching closely for more consolidation and/or a shakeout as PE firms begin to explore potential exits. So far, ConnectWise has quietly declined private equity money, and the company remains closely held.
