• Strongly Accenture-flavoured switch-around at the top of ngena; joint MD Adriani departs as venture moves to “2.0 format”.
  • Latest people movements include: Oliver Schmäschke, Alessandro Adriani, Luis Alvarez, Chris Burke, Edwin Paalvast, Jack Sepple, Cleber Viana, Jörg Wassink, Boris van Beek.
People movement highlights
CompanyExecutiveActivityDetails
Sources: Deutsche Telekom; various.

Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners

Oliver
Schmäschke

New role

Oliver Schmäschke, Chief of Staff at Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners (DTCP), Deutsche Telekom’s (DT) investment management arm, was appointed Vice‑President (VP) in its Advisory function. Schmäschke, who led the foundation of DTCP and was the unit’s first employee, is now responsible for “delivering financial and strategic synergies between DTCP’s portfolio companies and corporate sponsors”.

ngena

Alessandro
Adriani

Departure

The DT‑backed Next Generation Enterprise Network Alliance (ngena) made a major leadership reshuffle, seeing the departure of Alessandro Adriani, co-Managing Director (MD), to join Berlin-based innovation hub Strategic Scenarios as a Management Consultant.

Adriani is effectively being replaced by former Accenture executive Bart de Graaff, who has been hired as Chief Commercial Officer and MD of the software-ised enterprise networking venture.

Adriani led ngena’s service provider partnership push from the inception of the venture in 2016, working alongside more operationally focused fellow MD Marcus Hacke, who remains with ngena. ngena called the reorganisation a “move into 2.0 format” for the business, which has achieved a broad international footprint, through Adriani’s efforts, but is yet to release any data on commercial or financial performance.

Luis
Alvarez

Appointment

Alongside its executive leadership rejig (see above), ngena said it was forming a “hands-on” Advisory Board, featuring several heavyweight executives with “proven track records of delivering sophisticated outcomes to customers by combining the right technologies and services”. Jack Sepple, former Senior Managing Director, Global Cloud, Infrastructure & Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Accenture Operations, is chairing the grouping. Other Advisory Board members comprise: Luis Alvarez, former Chief Executive (CEO) of BT Global Services; Chris Burke, a former Vodafone UK Chief Technology & Information Officer (CTIO); and Edwin Paalvast, Senior Vice-President of Global Specialist Sales at Cisco Systems, one of ngena’s main technology partners. Accenture has not been obviously highlighted as working with ngena.

Chris
Burke

Appointment

Edwin
Paalvast

Appointment

Jack
Sepple

Appointment

Cleber
Viana

Appointment

A further move by ngena was to hire Cleber Viana, another former Accenture executive, as VP of America. The move came as the provider announced the opening of a “fully staffed” US office in Miami, to help “cover the Americas market by helping alliance partners and end customers in sales, marketing, implementation, and support of ngena’s SD‑WAN solutions”. ngena works with CenturyLink to market its shared networking service in the USA, and has a regional relationship with Neutrona Networks. Viana was MD of Cloud Consulting & Modernisation at Accenture before joining ngena.

Jörg
Wassink

Departure

Jörg Wassink, Head of Marketing at ngena, left to join German digital solutions provider valantic as Director of Marketing & Communications.

T‑Mobile Netherlands

Boris van Beek

Departure

Boris van Beek, Director of Digital & Customer Operations at T‑Mobile Netherlands (TMNL), was poached by incumbent rival KPN to become Executive VP of Digital Business.

 

 

 

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