Extreme Networks, announced that Monica Kumar has been appointed as the company’s new Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Kumar brings extensive B2B marketing experience with a history of accelerating growth through compelling product differentiation and impactful, revenue generating go-to-market strategies. Kumar will lead the company’s global marketing organization and report to Extreme’s President and CEO, Ed Meyercord.
Kumar has deep industry and technical knowledge of enterprise cloud computing and a proven track record of simplifying complex product and solution portfolios. As CMO, she’ll work to continue elevating Extreme’s brand and value proposition through unique and engaging go-to-market motions, and further expanding routes to market through strategic partnerships.
“Monica is a perfect combination of a technical and business savvy marketing leader with a talent for driving impactful initiatives that boost customer acquisition and revenue growth,” said Ed Meyercord, President and CEO of Extreme. “Extreme has a highly differentiated set of solutions; we’ve shaken up the status quo of the networking industry, and we’re taking share. Monica’s track record of transforming hardware businesses to highly successful SaaS businesses that drive recurring revenue will be instrumental as we continue to extend our leadership position in cloud networking.”
Prior to Extreme, Kumar served as CMO at Hitachi Vantara, where she successfully drove a product simplification strategy that brought the company’s portfolio of data storage products together into one easy-to-consume, scalable, and resilient platform. Additionally, she was instrumental in launching Hitachi’s new brand strategy and narrative which helped drive awareness, customer acquisition, and long-term growth.
Previously, she served as SVP of Marketing and Cloud go-to-market at Nutanix and spent more than 20 years at Oracle in a variety of marketing roles. At both Nutanix and Oracle, Kumar was instrumental in evolving both organizations from traditional hardware companies to thriving software subscription businesses. Kumar is an active board member for UPWARD Women and City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, and a founding member of Neythri Futures Fund, a historic first fund with a mission to increase the diversity quotient in the venture capital ecosystem.
Monica Kumar, CMO at Extreme, said, “Extreme has made its mark in the industry by reducing complexity and creating an innovative, flexible, and simple approach for customers to deploy and manage their networks through the cloud. I’m thrilled to join at a time where we have a significant opportunity to further elevate our story, our brand and market leadership position – and it starts with customer-centricity and a vibrant partner ecosystem. I am looking forward to making an impact as part of Extreme’s incredible customer, partner, and people-centric leadership team.”
SOURCE: BusinessWire