Johnson, based in Denmark, has a background of working with Microsoft Security products like Defender and Sentinel and now specialises in Microsoft Security Copilot, using the AI-enabled solution and Safe XDR platform to cut incident response time from days to minutes. He said: “It is an absolute honour to be named among the world’s first Security Copilot MVPs by Microsoft. I must extend my sincere thanks to Rod Trent and James Key at Microsoft for recommending me as an MVP.” Performanta has over 170 staff worldwide, including a team of 80 analysts working in two SOCs, and offices in the UK, Australia, Germany, South Africa and the USA. Johnson is the second Performanta employee to achieve the status of Microsoft MVP. www.performanta.com From apprentice to Operations Director in seven years Shrewsbury-based MSP Start Tech (see View from the Channel on page 22) has promoted 26-year-old Jordon Tipper to the role of Operations Director. He entered the business in 2017 as an apprentice and quickly climbed the ranks to senior management. His promotion has made room for Kieran Jones to step into the new role of Client Strategy & Professional Services Manager with responsibility for overseeing account management, strategic business reviews and internal project delivery. www.start-tech.co.uk … New Director of People at Ciphr HR, benefits and payroll software provider Ciphr has promoted Karen Lough to the new role of Director of People to oversee the delivery of its people and culture strategy. Lough joined the Reading-based tech group in 2023 as Head of Learning and Development, before being promoted to Head of People Experience earlier this year (2024). She will continue to report directly to Ciphr’s Chief People and Operations Officer Claire Williams, whose role was recently expanded to include responsibility for compliance, information governance and customer operations and experience. www.ciphr.com Computacenter, has become the first Econocom UK Sales Agent. Part of Econocom’s strategy to reach €4 billion in revenue by 2028, the Sales Agent programme extends its market reach by enabling experienced professionals to operate as independent entrepreneurs while benefiting from the Group’s extensive resources, industry expertise and innovative IT solutions. Sparrow said: “I am thrilled to join Econocom as its first UK Sales Agent. Econocom’s commitment to supporting independent professionals aligns perfectly with my experience and vision. This is an exciting opportunity to deliver value to clients while contributing to Econocom’s ambitious goals.” Across Europe, Econocom already has more than 100 Sales Agents operating as independent partners. It is planning to bring on additional UK-based agents in the near future. www.econocom.com … Torvald Johnson named as one of first Security Copilot MVPs Torvald Johnson, Head of Security Automation at global cybersecurity firm Performanta, has been named as one of Microsoft’s first ten Security Copilot Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs). Microsoft MVPs are nominated and selected not only for their expertise and innovation with Microsoft products, but also for their leadership and proactive efforts to support and expand the broader community. Victoria Dimmick appointed Titania CEO Titania, a leader in network security and compliance assurance, has appointed Victoria Dimmick as CEO to guide the company through its next period of growth. Previously COO at Netacea, Piriform, makers of CCleaner, and Intechnica and EVP Corporate Development at Maltego, Dimmick has a wealth of experience in scaling high-growth cybersecurity companies. She said: “I’m thrilled to join Titania at such a pivotal moment in the cybersecurity landscape. My experience with enterprise and government clients in both the US and Europe has shown me the critical importance of proactive security measures, especially as threats from state-sponsored cyberattacks grow more sophisticated. Titania’s mission to ensure operational readiness and resilience is one I’m passionate about advancing.” Under Dimmick’s leadership, Titania will continue to help organisations transition from reactive to proactive security by identifying network vulnerabilities in near real-time, identifying misconfigurations and prioritising remediation to shut down potential attack vectors before they can be exploited. www.titania.com … Richard Sparrow joins Econocom as first UK Sales Agent Richard Sparrow, who has decades of experience in the technology sector, including 12 years as Client Director at PEOPLE 40 01732 759725 People continued... Richard Sparrow Econocom Torvald Johnson Performanta Karen Lough Jordon Tipper Start Tech Victoria Dimmick Titania Westcon-Comstor announces key executive changes Westcon-Comstor has announced four promotions, three of which involve UK-based employees. Russell Blackburn, who previously held a senior role on the Cisco-focused Comstor side of the distributor’s business, takes on the newly created role of Senior Vice President, Digital Sales, with responsibility for accelerating adoption of WestconComstor’s PartnerCentral marketplace; Daniel Hurel has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Westcon EMEA Cybersecurity & Next‑Generation Solutions, with an expanded remit to identify and nurture high-growth vendors, market segments and technologies; Runa Macleod has been made Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, leading an international marketing function tasked with driving growth for partners and vendors; and New Yorkbased Atul Damani has been elevated to the role of Chief Data Officer to advance Westcon-Comstor’s data and AI strategy and partner-focused analytics offerings Intelligent Demand and Partner Insights. Clockwise from top left: Atul Damani, Russell Blackburn, Daniel Hurel and Runa Macleod
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