ShoreTel's Channel Management Head Departs For Competitor

According to an internal memo authored by David Petts, senior vice president of worldwide sales at ShoreTel, and viewed by CRN, Vitalone will be leaving ShoreTel effective immediately to join one of the company's competitors.

In the note, Petts wrote that Charles "Chuck" Krogman, vice president of advanced applications at ShoreTel, will take over Vitalone's responsibilities.

[Related: Can We Talk? ShoreTel Brings New UC, Collaboration Tools To The iPad ]

"Joe Vitalone has decided to leave ShoreTel and join one of our competitors. Due to the competitive aspect his departure from ShoreTel will be with immediate effect," Petts wrote. "I will be working quickly to adjust to this change and appoint the leadership for this very important part of our Go To Market organization. In the interim I have asked Chuck Krogman to assume the role. Please support Chuck and the team as I complete this change."

A ShoreTel spokesperson confirmed that Vitalone is leaving, but declined to comment further.

Vitalone's departure comes less than a year after he re-joined ShoreTel in May of 2012, after having left in 2009 to take on a role as vice president of sales at LifeSize. When Vitalone re-joined ShoreTel last year, he was tasked with growing channel revenue and handling partner relationships.

During his first stint at ShoreTel, from 2005 to 2009, Vitalone was vice president of North American sales.

Vitalone, a channel and industry veteran touting more than 25 years of sales experience, was a key driver behind many of ShoreTel's recent channel initiatives. Under his direction, ShoreTel last year increased its Partner Enablement Team in Channel Marketing at its Sunnyvale, Calif.- headquarters by roughly 20 percent to provide more resources, program options and other tools for partners.

ShoreTel also grew its number of authorized channel partners to more than 1,000 as of June of last year, representing a year-over-year growth of roughly 9 percent.

One solution provider and ShoreTel partner who learned of Vitalone's departure said he was disappointed to see Vitalone leave, given the support he has shown partners over the last several months.

"This is [Vitalone's] second stint back at ShoreTel. He went over to LifeSize for about two or three years and then came back," said the partner, who requested anonymity. "He's only been back with them for about 11 months now, so I'm surprised to see this happen so fast. But, on the flip side, he's done a lot of good things for partners and the partner community. ... A lot of positive things have happened over the last 12 months, and I'm definitely disappointed to see him leave."

Another ShoreTel partner, who also requested anonymity, told CRN that it was "good news" to see that ShoreTel appointed somebody as well positioned as Krogman to step in and fill Vitalone's shoes.

"Chuck Krogman is a long-term ShoreTel veteran who is also very well respected, well liked, capable and very connected," the partner said. "Chuck will do just fine."

PUBLISHED MARCH 7, 2013