Leading provider of cloud communciations software, Five9, have announced that they have appointed Rowan Trollope as their new CEO and he will start tomorrow, the 3rd of May. Trollope had most recently been working at Cisco as SVP and General Manager of their Applications Group.
UC Today reported on the incredible growth that Five9 have experienced over the past few years and how they have been one of the most disruptive organisations within the CCaaS market. The new appointment signals further intent to continue their upward trajectory within such rapidly changing industries.
Executive Chairman at Five9, Mike Burkland, is understandably enthused to see Rowan join their team.
“I am absolutely thrilled that Rowan will be our next CEO. Rowan is a proven superstar and one of Silicon Valley’s most sought-after executives. He is a seasoned veteran with an extensive track record of creating value, driving innovation and scaling large technology organisations. Rowan’s valuable domain experience in cloud technologies and the contact center market will be a huge benefit to Five9 and we’re really fortunate to gain a leader with his experience, talent and vision. In addition, I believe Rowan has the right character and personality traits to carry on our unique and thriving culture at Five9.”
Before joining Cisco in 2012 Rowan Trollope was Group President at Symantec focusing on their cloud strategy and was responsible for growing their SaaS propositions. Whilst at Cisco, Trollope was a crucial member of the leadership team and headed up the Applications Group which in itself was worth around $5 billion. He began by leading their Collaboration Technology Group but was promoted internally. Most recently he has been responsible for a radical shift in Cisco’s strategies in those areas with a transition to more cloud focused models and several re-branding exercises. Trollope seems to be very keen to undertake a new challenge within a radically different environment at Five9.
“I’m honoured to lead Five9. Mike has done a tremendous job building the company into a leading provider of cloud contact center software. Thanks to Mike and his leadership, Five9 is extremely well positioned to continue expanding into the enterprise market in the years ahead. Five9 is a unique opportunity for me to join a market leader with strong momentum in a large market undergoing a shift to the cloud. I look forward to working with the Five9 team to take the company to the next level.”
With the huge fluctuation currently occurring within Cisco’s Application Division, the re-branding and redirection of Cisco Spark and the departure of former SVP and General Manager for Cloud Collaboration, Jens Meggers, this latest news will only add to the uncertainty. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins tweeted his farewell message to Trollope.
It will be fascinating to see how Cisco will react to the latest news and they have already revealed that Amy Chang who is CEO of their latest acquisition, Accompany, will now head up Cisco’s newly remodelled collaboration portfolio. She has been a member of the Cisco board of directors, since 2016, but will step down from that role in order to take charge of collaboration.
Cisco aside, the news of Trollope’s appointment is undoubtedly great for Five9. Already one of the most exciting technology companies globally this can only bolster their proposition in an already buoyant industry. With over 25 years’ experience Trollope will provide a new strategic perspective and add a charismatic leadership style to an already dynamic organisation.
