Carbon Black Hires Former Dropbox Exec As Its First Chief Revenue Officer

Carbon Black is expanding its leadership team, naming former Dropbox and Microsoft executive Thomas Hansen as its first chief revenue officer.

In the new role, Hansen will be responsible for overseeing sales, customer success teams, customer service and support, professional services, and sales engineering. He started with the company two weeks ago.

Hansen comes to Carbon Black with extensive experience in global markets, software-as-a-service companies, and the channel. He most recently served as global vice president of revenue at Dropbox, a position he held since August 2015. Before that, Hansen spent 14 years at Microsoft, most recently as worldwide vice president of SMB.

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In an interview with CRN, Hansen said he was excited for the opportunity to join the security market with his move to Carbon Black, calling the industry "incredibly dynamic and intellectually engaging."

"There is a tremendous opportunity in Carbon Black to continue to accelerate its transition to the cloud and help them expand internationally. I thought that was fascinating," Hansen said. "There is a tremendous opportunity – the cybersecurity space is a market that only continues to grow," he said.

Hansen said he was also drawn to Carbon Black's leadership position in the endpoint security market, technology innovation and partnerships, and clarity in how it goes to market with partners.

Hansen said he plans to bring his experience in global roles to help Carbon Black expand its international footprint, which he said is still in the "earlier phases," as well as continuing to grow its presence in North America. He said he would also have a big focus on the cloud, bringing his background in helping transform Microsoft into a cloud company, working with cloud resellers, and at software-as-a-service company Dropbox to the table.

The channel will also be a key focus in the new role, Hansen said. Hansen said he has a "deep specialization" working with partners and distributors, particularly at Microsoft, and plans to continue that push in his new role. He said he doesn't quite know what those investments will look like yet, but said partners are critical to accelerating the company's market position.

"We want to serve tens of thousands of enterprise customers and millions of SMB customers around the world. The only way you can meaningfully scale to those levels it to and through the channel. The channel is a foundational component of how we will build a world-class company in the cybersecurity space," Hansen said.

Carbon Black has reportedly been moving toward an IPO, with reports last fall that the company had confidentially filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its initial public offering. Hansen said he could not comment on any future events regarding the company's financials, only saying that the firm's goal is to "be the leader in endpoint security" and that it wants to be a "long-term independent company."

In an email to CRN, Optiv Security Vice President of Partner Management Andy Welsh said he hopes Hansen's appointment will enhance the company's partnership with solution providers.

"I am very hopeful that Thomas’ hiring will have a positive impact on our long-standing relationship. I think investments in the channel that provide enhanced profitability would be most attractive to Optiv," Welsh said.