Cisco’s channel changeups — Who will replace Wendy Bahr?

Yesterday, Cisco confirmed on its channel blog that there are major changes happening in its channel executive team.  Here is a basic outline of the changes:

• Edison Peres, senior VP of worldwide channels go-to-market, will become senior VP of worldwide channels and Cisco’s channel chief.
• Wendy Bahr, senior VP of U.S. and Canada channels and Cisco’s channel chief, will become senior VP of global and transformational partnerships.
• Dave O’Callaghan, Cisco’s worldwide distribution chief, will become the VP of worldwide commercial sales, accelerating growth in the SMB market.
• Cisco will be actively searching for someone to replace Wendy as heading up the U.S. and Canada channels, and a new worldwide distribution chief to replace Dave.

So, what does this mean for partners? Wendy Bahr has always been a friend to partners, and those are some hard shoes to fill. But in her new role, it appears that she can take her expertise to a global level. Edison Peres, in the new role of channel chief, isn’t stepping too far out of his comfort zone.

But it’ll be interesting to see how all of this plays out and who ends up stepping into the empty roles. We’ll also be keeping an eye on Cisco’s further commitment to building out its SMB channel.