The Unified Communication and Collaboration marketplace is growing at a phenomenal rate. Valued at around $56.33 billion in 2018, the space will reach around $167.1 billion by 2025.
The Unified Communication and Collaboration space refers to the packages of tools that help people to exchange ideas and do their jobs more effectively. With UC&C, companies can create complete solutions for significant interactions. For instance, companies can access instant messaging (chat) for immediate conversations and videos for face-to-face discussions.
As the demand for communication and collaboration opportunities continues to accelerate, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of the options and trends. One of the best ways to make sure that you’re ahead of the curve is to pay attention to market leaders in the space.
Today, we’re going to introduce you to some of the most critical communication and collaboration influencers of 2020, and why they’re so impressive.
Here they are, in no particular order, the Top 10 UC&C influencers for 2020:
Vlad Shmunis
Vlad Shmunis created RingCentral, one of the world’s biggest UCaaS companies. Shmunis has been the driving inspiration behind RingCentral for more than 20 years, helping to drive the company towards innovation and new opportunities.
RingCentral is an innovator in supporting the modern workforce with communication, collaboration, and connectivity from any device or environment. The company knows how to unify voice, video, messaging, and other communication methods in an environment that’s easy to use. Under Shmunis, RingCentral has transformed from a startup company, funded with $12 million in 2006, to a publicly-traded NYSE business.
Before Vlad launched RingCentral, he served as the CEO of Ring Zero Systems, where he supported the continued innovation of desktop software for business communications. Shmunis holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science, as a testament to his commitment to the complex field.
Vlad Shmunis has spent more than 30 years in the software industry, transforming the way that we speak and interact. In 2014, he even earned the award for Ernst & Young’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Northern Californian region. Today, he’s helping RingCentral thrive as one of the fastest-growing pure cloud companies in the world.
Jeff Teper
Jeff Teper is the Corporate Vice President of Microsoft 365 Collaboration (Teams). He rose to fame in the digital world as the Founder of SharePoint and came to Microsoft to support the company in tackling the everyday challenges that modern employees face. As a dedicated developer, Jeff leads Microsoft’s collaboration platform team, working on Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
Teper started his career with Microsoft in 1992. Before he began spearheading the SharePoint experience, Teper was a general manager for MSN. He has a Master’s Degree in Business administration from Harvard Business School. Teper was one of the Microsoft executives that helped to create Microsoft’s fastest-growing product.
Teper was in the competitive team in Microsoft, responsible for examining the marketplace and producing products that would transform the way that people worked. Teper has been with Microsoft for nearly 30 years now, and actively shares updates about Microsoft Teams on Twitter. Previous roles include Corporate Vice President for Corporate Strategy.
It was Jeff Teper and his peers who had a vision to create a collaboration tool that competes with things like Google Chat, Slack, and Workplace from Facebook. Today, Jeff’s commitment to innovation and transformation has helped Microsoft to emerge as one of the primary providers of collaboration technology worldwide. According to Teper, he joined Microsoft because he believed in empowering others with the right technology platform.
Javed Khan
Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cisco Collaboration team, Javed Khan, leads Cisco’s world-leading collaboration business. This unique platform includes the Webex portfolio for Teams, Meetings, Calling, Rooms, and the Contact Centre. Javed’s passion for developing world-changing experiences for collaboration has made him a true innovator in his field.
Javed’s previous roles with Cisco included running the Cloud Calling business as General Manager and Vice President. Khan and his team were responsible for the execution of product management, partner operations, and more for the Cisco Cloud portfolio. Javed also plays a vital role in cloud-based solutions.
Before leading the group for cloud calling, Javed managed the Webex Business meetings unit, where his team was responsible for various transformative initiatives, including the development of a single platform for meetings architecture and modernisation of the Webex experience. Khan successfully worked his way up through the ranks to become an innovator and pioneer in the digital collaboration and communication space.
Javed brings more than 20 years of experience and product leadership to the Cisco environment. Prior to joining Cisco, he was also the Vice President of Consumer Security products and Enterprise solutions for Symantec. Khan also holds a Masters in Computer Science, alongside an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.
Julien Codorniou
Julien Codorniou is the Vice President of Workplace from Facebook, responsible for looking after the business and partnership teams for the company. Under his leadership, Workplace supports more than 5 million paying users at companies ranging from Booking.com to Walmart, Spotify, and ServiceNow.
Julien joined the Facebook team in 2011, working with the Global Platform Partnerships environment for five years. He began his journey as VP for Workplace from Facebook in 2015. Before his experience with Facebook, Julien started his career in finance. Before Facebook, he was the Director of Business Development at Microsoft, where he handled the BizSpark campaign.
Over the years, Julien has to deliver powerful insight to many leading companies around the world, helping them to overcome their challenges and boundaries. Since 2012, he’s also been serving on the board of the Le Monde French media group. Julien even made a name for himself as an established author by co-authoring The Keloo.com success story.
Julien started his career with a master’s degree in Finance. Today, this Facebook thought leader is one of the innovators responsible for making Workplace from Facebook a leading solution for collaboration and business communication. His diverse experience working with many other companies before Facebook gives him a unique approach to business today.
Eric Yuan
A global innovator, and leader in the communications landscape, Eric Yuan is the pioneering CEO of Zoom Video Communications. Eric founded Zoom in 2011 to provide companies with more innovative ways of working together. The video-first Unified Communication platform that Zoom offers today continues to transform the way that global enterprises connect.
Before founding Zoom, Eric was the Corporate Vice President of Engineering at Cisco, where he was responsible for Cisco’s development of collaboration software. Eric was also the VP of Engineering at Webex, another market-leading name in the collaboration space. Between the years of 1997 and 2011, Eric managed to grow his team from 10 engineers to over 800 worldwide.
Eric’s vision with Zoom was to create a collaborative environment where people could accomplish more with video. The company’s reliable and innovative communication platform offers a combination of voice, webinars, meetings, and chat across mobile devices, phones, and desktops. Eric’s forward-thinking leadership earned him the title of one of the most influential people in Enterprise Tech.
In 2018, Eric also became the number 1 CEO of a large US company, according to Glassdoor, and EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the Northern California region. By 2019, Eric joined the Bloomberg 50 as one of the innovators responsible for changing the game in global business. Yuan is an inventor on 11 issued patents and 20 pending ones, and he’s constantly looking for new ways to transform the world with communication.
Stewart Butterfield
Stewart Butterfield, born Dharma Jeremy Butterfield, is the co-founder and CEO of the world-famous collaboration platform, Slack. For 2 decades, Stewart has been a technology leader, designer, and entrepreneur committed to changing the landscape. When Stewart and his team launched Slack in 2013, it transformed the way that employees stayed connected.
Slack is one of the leading channel-based platforms for messaging and channel-based communication. Millions of people rely on Slack for team alignment. Slack isn’t the first innovation that Stewart Butterfield helped to create. In 2013, he co-founded the image sharing and social web company Flickr. Butterfield’s work helped Flickr to become one of the most extensive global web services.
Over the years, Stewart has achieved numerous accolades for his foresight and innovation. He became one of the most influential people in the world, according to Time Magazine. Butterfield is also one of the top 50 leaders, according to Businessweek. Butterfield also co-founded a company named Tiny Speck in 2009, which created a multiplayer game, Glitch.
Stewart has a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Victoria. Today, Butterfield is responsible for consistently moving the collaboration space offered by Slack in the right direction, with innovations and evolutionary features.
Jim Chirico
CEO and President of Avaya, Jim Chirico, is an inspirational figure in his field. As the head of Avaya, he guides the company towards the consistent creation of complete communication and collaboration solutions. Avaya is committed to driving better experiences, enhanced productivity, and improved financial performance in the modern workplace.
Chirico joined Avaya in 2008, as the Chief Operating Officer and Global Sales Leader. Today, Chirico is the President and Chief Executive, responsible for leading Avaya to a future of digital transformation and better value for customers. Jim came to Avaya from the Seagate Technology company. With Seagate, Chirico was the Executive VP of Development and Manufacturing, and Global Operations.
Chirico started his career in the innovative technology and communication landscape in 1980, where he spent 18 years with the market leaders, IBM. Jim’s journey with IBM took him through numerous management positions. He progressed through corporate assignment positions and line leadership opportunities to eventually become a Manufacturing Leader and Site General Manager.
Chirico has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Providence College, and today stands as one of the most recognisable professionals in communication and collaboration. Chirico’s leadership guided Avaya through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and into a new era.
Mary T. McDowell
President and CEO of leading communications company, Mitel, Mary T. McDowell, has an incredible history in the landscape. With more than 3 decades of experience, McDowell is responsible for developing the Mitel global strategy and leading the business towards success. Mary’s extensive experience in running private and public companies give her an excellent understanding of how to drive amazing transformations across consumer, enterprise, and tech sectors.
Before joining Mitel, Mary was the CEO for Polycom, helping the company to progress in its transition to a private enterrpise in 2016. McDowell was also a crucial player in the successful sale of Polycom to Plantronics in 2018. The two companies are now “Poly.”
Previously, Mary earned her knowledge as a market leader in several amazing positions. She was the Executive Partner at the Siris Capital private equity firm, and Executive Vice President of Nokia, where she assisted in the company’s $15 billion feature phone business. Mary also oversaw the app store and developer organisation and held senior positions at Compaq Computer and Hewlett Packard.
Currently, alongside her position at Mitel, Mary holds a crucial role as a board member for the Autodesk software company. McDowell is also a member of the board for a non-profit committed to supporting the advancement of women in business, the Committee of 200.
Vik Verma
CEO at innovative cloud communications company, 8×8, Vik (Vikram) Verma, helps to empower more than 1 million businesses around the world to collaborate and communicate across a host of dispersed locations. Vik started his career with 8×8 as a member of the board of directors in January 2012, and he’s still on the board of directors today.
An engineer at heart, Verma started his adventure into the technology landscape with Savi Technology, an RFID and cloud-based technologies business. Vik was both the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer during his time with Savi. After that, Verma became the President of the Savi group for Lockheed Martin, then President of Strategic Venture Development for the same business.
Today, Vik Verma holds eight patents for his creations, and was given the title of “Technology Pioneer” in a list of 40 peers mentioned by the World Economic Forum. Over the years, Verma has strengthened his knowledge of technology and communication, while simultaneously becoming an inspiring figure of leadership. He’s a board member for Cambium Networks, and the Florida Institute of Technology.
Many industry experts agree that Vik Verma is the driving inspiration behind 8×8’s impressive market leadership in the market for contact centre and unified communications. Verma also helps 8×8 to stay on the cutting edge with investments in disruptive concepts like artificial intelligence, data analytics, and machine learning.
Jack Chen
Lixin (Jack) Chen is the inspirational leader and CEO behind Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. ALE is one of the market-leading companies in the communication and technology market. The company specializes in offering state-of-the-art solutions for communication, collaboration, and innovation. In recent years, ALE has also begun to invest beyond UCaaS, into tools for CCaaS and CPaaS too.
Jack Chen arrived at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise in 2016, bringing with him 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. As a proven leader and industry veteran, Jack is a specialist in restructuring and transforming business operations. During his time as CEO, Jack has successfully helped the ALE company to progress as an innovator in the new digital landscape.
Before becoming CEO of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Jack held various roles as the head of APAC wireless for Alcatel-Lucent and the executive VP of ASB. Chen also had positions as the global COO of the Mobile Radio Business for the Alcatel brand and was the president and COO of the Alcatel Shanghai Bell mobile company.
Chen earned his MBA from the University of Antwerp and stands out as a powerful figure in the current technology space. With the help of his dedicated team, Jack keeps ALE on the cutting edge of the communications space and assists the brand in exploring new opportunities for customer success and business development.
The Thought Leaders in Unified Communications
As the Unified Communication and UCaaS space continues to transform, its thought leaders will evolve too. New innovators and forward-thinking professionals are making their way into this landscape all the time. Even now, experts in the realm of audio and video conversations are beginning to carve a space for themselves within the UC market. A year from now, it’s impossible to predict who the most inspirational figures of UC will be.
For now, this is just our top ten collection of Unified Communication experts, picked for their contribution to the current industry and the helpful insights they deliver in their keynote speeches, events, and interactions with communication experts around the world.
Is there a UC industry thought leader that you think we should have mentioned here? Who do you think should be at the top of our list? Join the conversation on social media.
