Unify Communications N.V./S.A., Guido Gezellestraat 121, B-1654 Huizingen (Beersel), Belgium
Unify S.A., Campus Contern – Bâtiment Bouvreuil, 17 rue Edmond Reuter, L-5326 Contern, Luxembourg
Media contact:
Danny VandeVyver
VP Marketing Unify
Guido Gezellestraat 121
1654 Huizingen (Beersel)
danny.vandevyver@unify.com
+32 2 406 73 11
www.unify.com
Press release
Unify Names Dean Douglas as CEO
Westcon President and CEO to Lead the Enterprise
Communications Innovator
Hamid Akhavan to Join the Unify Board
Huizingen, Belgium – December 5, 2013 – Unify, formerly Siemens Enterprise
Communications, yesterday announced the appointment of Dean Douglas as Chief
Executive Officer (CEO). He succeeds Hamid Akhavan who joined as CEO from
Deutsche Telekom in February 2010.
Douglas, who currently serves as President and CEO of enterprise technology
distributor Westcon Group Inc., was previously CEO of LCC International and has also
held a number of executive roles at both IBM and Motorola. He will take up his
appointment on January 16, 2014, at which point Akhavan will join the Executive
Board, where he will continue to support the Unify business.
Mark Stone, Chairman of the Executive Board commented: "I am very happy that after
many months of searching, we have found the ideal successor and leader in Dean. He
brings deep understanding of the enterprise technology industry and intensive
experience of successful sales channel and partnership development in a variety of
international roles, which will be essential as we continue the transformation of Unify
into the most capable supplier in the industry. Dean has an impressive track record of
creating growth both organically and via successful acquisitions."
Commenting on his appointment, Douglas said: "I am very excited about joining Unify.
The company has a long and distinguished heritage, and yet has an agenda to reinvent
itself and the industry. Cloud-based delivery opens up entirely new consumption,
commercial and distribution models and I see Unify as perfectly positioned to innovate
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new ways for enterprise users to access the best collaboration tools. I look forward to
working with Hamid as I transition into the role. We will continue to open the eyes of
the industry to what is possible, and then deliver - creating new value for our
customers, partners, shareholders and our people."
Stone added: "I am grateful for Hamid's championship of Unify's transformation into a
leadership position in the industry during the past four years. He has led a
transformation that has streamlined the Unify business, modernized its portfolio and
reinvented its market approach culminating in Project Ansible and the launch of the
exciting Unify brand this year. I am delighted that he will be joining the Board and
continue his support of the business."
Akhavan commented: "I am truly proud of what we have achieved so far. We have
worked hard on improving our cost structures while raising our customer satisfaction
to the highest levels and developing our product portfolio to the most exciting in the
industry. This has been a very demanding task but the great people within Unify have
risen to the challenges time and again. I'm very happy to support Dean as we embark
on this next stage in Unify's journey under his leadership."
About Unify
Unify – formerly known as Siemens Enterprise Communications – is a premier
communications software and services firm. Our solutions unify multiple networks,
devices and applications into one easy-to-use platform that allows teams to engage in
rich and meaningful conversations. The result is a transformation of how the
enterprise communicates and collaborates that amplifies collective effort, energizes the
business, and enhances business performance. Born out of the engineering DNA of
Siemens AG, Unify builds on this heritage of product reliability, innovation, open
standards and security to provide integrated communications solutions for
approximately 75% of the Global 500. Unify is a joint venture of The Gores Group and
Siemens AG.
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This release contains forward-looking statements based on beliefs of Unify's
management. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "expect,"
"intend," "plan," "should," and "project" are used to identify forward-looking
statements. Such statements reflect the company's current views with respect to future
events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual
results to be materially different, including, among others, changes in general
economic and business conditions, changes in currency exchange rates and interest
rates, introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance of new products or
services and changes in business strategy. Actual results may vary materially from
those projected here. Unify does not intend or assume any obligation to update these
forward-looking statements.
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