New heads for Pure Storage APJ and ANZ channel

Pure Storage has announced its ANZ country manager, Nigel Peach, has been appointed to the new role of director Alliances and Systems Integrators for APJ. 

Peach will be responsible for driving and developing the company's relationships with strategic alliance partners, systems integrators, service providers and outsources across the region. 

An enterprise IT veteran with more than 25 years' experience in senior management roles, Peach was Pure Storage's first employee in ANZ when the company opened its doors locally in late 2013. "In less than 18 months, he has led the business from start-up stage to a successful operation with a motivated partner community and a significant customer base, with public references such as Australian Rugby Union, Perfection Fresh, Toga Group and many others," the company says in a statement.

Mike Sakalas joins Pure Storage as country manager for ANZ, replacing Peach in the local business. Sakalas brings 20 years' datastorage, sales and senior business management experience with him, including key roles with EMC in the US, NetApp in the US and Australia, and most recently, as CEO of Australian systems integrator, Southern Cross Computer Systems. 

Pure Storage says Sakalas is tasked with building on the strong foundation Peach and his team have established in the local market with customers and scaling the business to the next level.

Michael Alp, vice president, APJ for Pure Storage, says, "Nigel's new role is critical for our business across the region, as it affirms our commitment to our partners and reinforces our strategy to grow hand-in-hand with like-minded companies. 

"With high competition in the local data storage space, Nigel rose to the challenge of building our business and customer base in Australia and New Zealand," he says. "His great success is a testament to both the strength of the Pure offering and Nigel's talent in working with customers to provide genuine business value.

"In his new, regional role, Nigel will be drawing on his strengths to provide our business partners with better relationships and working to grow our businesses together.

Alp says, "Mike has a blue-ribbon career history in enterprise IT, making him a standout to take on the role Nigel is leaving.  Mike has a detailed understanding of our industry and an enviable track record in growing a business by focusing strongly on customer needs. 

"Mike is a valuable addition to the Pure team and I look forward to working closely with him to continue the momentum with customers in the ANZ market," he says.