VMware Tanzu VP And Dell EMC Vet Chad Sakac Takes Hiatus

The Dell Technologies veteran currently leads VMware’s Kubernetes charge as vice president of Tanzu.

One of VMware’s most seasoned leaders is departing after 17 years of holding top roles throughout Dell Technologies’ family of brands including at Dell EMC, VMware and Pivotal Software.

Chad Sakac, currently vice president of VMware’s Kubernetes Tanzu portfolio and a prominent figure at large Dell and VMware conferences, announced he is taking a yearlong hiatus from VMware to “unplug from work and focus on family.”

Sakac has played critical roles in driving some of Dell Technologies and VMware’s most important market segments including VMware Kubernetes, Pivotal Software PKS and Dell EMC’s hyperconverged infrastructure. He first joined EMC and VMware in 2004. When Dell pulled the trigger on its blockbuster $67 billion acquisition of EMC in 2016, Sakac became president of converged platforms and solutions, which included VxRail, for the newly combined Dell Technologies.

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“Taking 12 months to unplug from work & focus on family. All good/healthy. Simply a case of running hard for nearly 20 years straight,” said Sakac on Twitter, ending with the hashtag #IWillBeBack.

Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell reached out via Twitter Thursday to thank Sakac for his dedication and leadership.

Enjoy the very well-deserved break! Grateful for all you have brought (especially your passion) to @DellTech and @VMware, our customers, and community, and looking forward to your return. We'll miss you! Stay safe and well my friend! 🤗

— Michael Dell (@MichaelDell) March 4, 2021

Sakac spent the past year leading various teams and development efforts in VMware’s modern application business, which includes the company’s growing Kubernetes business. He also focused on the integration of technology and teams from key VMware acquisitions including Pivotal Software, Bitnami and Wavefront.

Sakac was playing a large role in VMware’s ongoing transformation effort to make Software-as-a-Service and subscription sales a larger part of the company’s overall revenue.

The departure of Sakac comes as several of VMware’s top executives have departed the company for top roles at other vendors. VMware’s former CEO, Pat Gelsinger, left last month after eight years leading the company to become CEO of Intel, while VMware’s global chief operating officer of products and cloud services, Rajiv Ramaswami, recently departed to join Nutanix as its CEO.

However, Palo Alto, Calif.-based VMware has hired some top talent as it continues searching for a new CEO. For example, VMware recently nabbed Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Canadian president, Paula Hodgins, as its new senior vice president of worldwide global accounts and telco sales.

VMware generated $11.8 billion in total revenue during its fiscal year 2021, which ended last month, representing a 9 percent increase annually. SaaS and subscription sales were up 38 percent in fiscal year 2021 at $2.6 billion.

Sakac’s social media feed was flooded with kind words and encouragement from some of Dell Technologies’ top executives including Bill Scannell, president of global sales and customer operations, and Tom Burns, senior vice president and general manager of Dell EMC networking and solutions.