Transitions: Executive Changes for August 24, 2004

Interactive Intelligence has appointed Gary Blough as its new executive vice president of worldwide sales. Blough replaces Jeremiah Fleming, who was named president of Vonexus, an Interactive Intelligence subsidiary formed earlier this month to distribute the company's IP PBX software. Blough previously served as Interactive Intelligence's vice president of sales for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Blough's experience working with the company's products in the context of different cultures and countries is a primary asset he will bring to his new role. "One of the difficulties U.S. based companies have is the struggle to gain acceptance in markets outside of the U.S.," he says. "I've been able to really get a sense of what other cultures require in a product, and I feel like I can take that to really help Interactive Intelligence internationally." Looking ahead, Blough's goals for Interactive Intelligence include driving the company to become a recognized leader in the server-based telephony market, and raising revenue to over the $100 million mark--a 40 to 45 percent increase from its current figure. Blough believes the company must expand both domestic and international partner relationships, and strategic alliances with CRM and data-oriented vendors. "We're really taking a look and trying to become what I call laser-focused on select vertical markets. We've been very successful working in vertical markets for financial, banking, insurance, and manufacturing industries. [Now,] we're going out to select vendors who are also successful in their markets--CRM vendors, for example, that we want to work with on the marketing alliance side of things. We want to bring that product integration and focus to the vertical market." Blough aims to use his EMEA experience building a successful partner model to now target specific verticals. He hopes to develop successful relationships with data vendors so the company can provide packaged offerings to particular markets. "If you look in areas around the world--for example, South Africa and other specific areas of the world or country--we are very successful because of the partner relationships we have there. We need to identify and build on those relationships." BeNOW has named Ned McMullen its senior vice president of sales. McMullen will lead sales efforts for BeNOW's Multi-Channel Retail segment, developing and implementing strategic CRM programs. Prior to BeNOW, McMullen was vice president of business development for loyalty marketing provider S&H GreenPoints, as well as a vice president of sales for AT&T. Telerx, an outsource provider of customer care services, has named Carolynn Horrell-Chamoun senior vice president of technology solutions. Chamoun comes to the company with over 20 years of technology and call center experience, 10 of which were focused in CRM and multimedia contact centers. Prior to joining Telerx, Chamoun was most recently senior vice president of systems and technology for ICT Group. Sales Force Management Software announced that Phil Cave has been appointed CEO of European Markets. Cave will be responsible for recruiting and managing a channel in each country, defining and implementing a business strategy for first the U.K., then the rest of Europe. Previously, Cave served as the U.K. country manager for pan-European tech marketing agency Hopscotch. He has also been consulting to companies on how to expand internationally for several years. Precision Response Corporation (PRC), a provider of outsourced customer care services, has appointed of Joseph Livingston to the position of executive vice president and COO. Livingston will oversee PRC's domestic and international operations, as well as the company's account management team. He brings to PRC more than three decades of experience in the fields of operations and technology, most recently serving as executive vice president and COO for TeleTech Holdings. PRC also announced the appointment of Jose Miranda to the position of vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean. Miranda will be responsible for overseeing the management of the company's new call center in the Dominican Republic, as well as the development and implementation of strategy for nearshore and midshore expansions. Miranda has held positions at SITEL Corporation, DIRECTV Latin America, Interval International, AT&T, and BellSouth. Current Analysis has hired John Marcus as its senior analyst of Telecom Infrastructure Europe. Marcus will be based in Ireland, and will be responsible for developing and offering analysis on the European Telecom Infrastructure market through competitive intelligence reports, market analysis, and product assessments. Marcus previously served as the vice president of business data services at Probe Group LLC, a global telecommunications and IT industry analysis firm Lucid Marketing announced the addition of John King as managing director of the company. King will be responsible for strategy, business development, sales, and marketing. He previously held the position of president and CEO of Tree Staple. Related articles: Who's Who in CRM CEOs Are Focused on Core Markets