Multiple sources have told CDN that Andrew Eppich will have a new role at HP Canada. Eppich was the vice president of partner and channels for HP Canada’s Enterprise Group. He is one of HP Canada’s two channel chiefs.
According to sources both inside HP Canada and partners, Eppich’s departure was recently announced internally at HP Canada by Charlie Atkinson, the VP and GM of HP’s Enterprise Group in Canada.
The general reaction from partners on this sudden departure of Eppich as channel chief was one of surprise. Eppich was considered a rising star in the organization. He was awarded the HP Channel Manager of the Year award for the Americas region and channel sales in the Enterprise group did increase under Eppich’s watch.
And, Atkinson did tell CDN during the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, D.C. that the Enterprise Group was having a great year.
Again, multiple sources have told CDN that HP Canada has launched a search for Eppich’s replacement that will look internally and outside the company.
Currently HP does employ two former channel chiefs inside the Enterprise Group. John Cammalleri, who was the channel chief for Personal Systems Group at HP Canada before it was changed to Printing and Personal Systems. Cammalleri then moved over to the Enterprise group. CDN learned that Cammalleri is now part of the PPS group again. Cammalleri was also the long time channel chief at Sun Microsystems Canada.
HP Canada also recently hired Steve Simmons, the former channel chief of Cisco Canada. Simmons was just hired by HP Canada to be the director of sales specializing in converged infrastructure solutions. Simmons currently reports to Ron Fuller, the vice president of enterprise sales at HP Canada. Fuller reports to Atkinson. Simmons was recently at CDN Top 100 Solution Provider FlexITy Solutions Inc.
One source described the quick hire of Simmons and the sudden departure of Eppich as channel chief as anything but coincidental.
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Another inside source at HP said that Eppich’s new role with the company will be announced shortly.
Eppich has spent more than a decade at HP Canada. During that time, Eppich was a territory sales rep, BCS specialist, enterprise account manager, national alliance manager, global accounts sales director for the public sector within Ontario and Quebec.
Besides the channel manager of the year award for the Americas region, Eppich has also been honoured with the Most Significant Deal Award in 2010 and winning the High Achievers Club award seven out of the last ten years.
Why keep writing about Steve Simmons, His best days are long behind him.