VMware Hires HPE Exec to Help Lead Global Sales Team

VMware named Paula Hodgins as its new SVP of Worldwide Accounts and Telco Sales on Wednesday. In her new role, which is based in Toronto, Hodgins is responsible for global sales and operational management across VMware accounts and its telecommunications customers.

She replaces Dan Zugelder, who was appointed to SVP and General Manager of the Americas. Hodgins will report to EVP of Worldwide Sales, Jean-Pierre Brulard.

Hodgins brings more than 20 years of experience in the enterprise technology industry to VMware and has expertise in selling cloud software, AI, and SaaS solutions. She most recently served as president of HPE Canada where she was responsible for all customer solutions, from the edge to the cloud, and helped support some of Canada’s biggest government agencies through a digital transformation.

Before that, Hodgins spent 13 years at Microsoft holding various management roles in Canada and the U.S. Her most senior role at Microsoft was leading the Intelligent Cloud sales team as General Manager.

Hodgins joins the software company at a time of recent departures in the senior leadership team. In January, former CEO Pat Gelsinger announced he would be leaving to take over as CEO of Intel. The news followed former COO Rajiv Ramaswami’s departure to take over as CEO of rival company Nutanix, prompting a lawsuit from VMware for breach of contract. Most recently, Ajay Singh, SVP and General Manager of the Cloud Management business unit left the company to become CPO at Pure Storage.

“VMware continues to attract outstanding talent bringing together world-class expertise,” Brulard said. “Paula’s breadth of experience and unique skillset will be an invaluable addition to our company as we continue to help our customers build a trusted digital foundation to meet the demands of today and prepare for tomorrow.”