Telesystem, a leading provider of managed technology solutions, announces today that it will split the sales department into two separate functional groups, with Robert Martin leading business development, and Carl Katz (pictured) leading the organization’s channel sales efforts. The change is designed to scale the channel team as well as to place greater focus on wholesale services and account retention and growth.
Katz joined the organization on Sept. 1, as a result of Telesystem’s acquisition of Threat Protector, in which Katz held a minority ownership stake. He assumes the Director, Channel Sales position, which encompasses the entire channel sales team, channel strategy (inclusive of market development activities and associated budgets), and the newly created Cybersecurity solutions department led by Ira Feuerstein, who also joined after having a minority stake in Threat Protector.
Katz most recently held the position of Chief Operating Officer at TCG, and before that was Vice President of Channel Sales at Nextiva. Feuerstein was a founding member of the channel program at Nextiva prior to joining Threat Protector.
“I’ve watched the growth of the Telesystem brand from afar, and I believe that I can add a lot of value to take the channel program to the next level,” Katz said. “There is a strong foundation, and a tremendous culture of accountability throughout the organization, and I am looking forward to working with our partners and team members to accelerate the growth of the channel.”
Martin started with the organization in 2006 as an Account Executive and has held two other Director positions at Telesystem prior to his newly appointed role of Director, Business Development. Martin’s responsibilities will include the account management team, marketing, sales operations and the newly created wholesale department. The addition of the wholesale group brings focus and attention to selling Telesystem’s portfolio, which includes type 1 fiber in select markets, to resellers and VARs.
“For me, this is an inflection point in the growth of our organization,” said Telesystem Chief Revenue Officer, Bruce Wirt. “When we launched our national strategy plan in 2018, we knew we wanted to get to the point where our brand was strong enough to really double down on our channel growth efforts. Bringing in known commodities like Carl Katz and Ira Feuerstein really demonstrates how far we’ve come as a destination for top industry talent.
“Beyond that, I have an enormous amount of trust in Robert’s leadership, especially in his ability to execute the vision that is given to him,” Wirt continued. “He will be a tremendous asset to our partners and customers as we aim to improve our account management experience.”
Telesystem is a leading sponsor and exhibitor at the MSP Summit, which takes place from Sept. 13-16 in Orlando, Fla. The company will feature an in-depth cybersecurity educational session on Wednesday Sept. 14, led by the recently acquired Threat Protector team.
To learn more, visit telesystem.us
