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AppZero Appoints Two New Vice Presidents

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Application virtualization company AppZero this morning announced the appointment of two new executives.

Effective immediately, Ross Norrie will be responsible for product development and delivery; Valerie O’Connell will spearhead the company’s Business Development and Marketing initiatives. Both report to Greg O’Connor, AppZero CEO.

Prior to joining AppZero, Norrie co-founded AssetMetrix, a subscription-based business intelligence system, which was acquired by Microsoft. Norrie led the integration of AssetMetrix technologies and Microsoft’s System Center Product line. Norrie also ran technology efforts for companies such as Provance Technologies and Asset Software International (ASI) as well as providing consulting services to Compaq and Citibank.

He co-founded Radar Interactive, a provider of helpdesk analysis software and now sits on the board of directors. Norrie holds several patent awards and he earned a technology and business degree from Algonquin College.

O’Connell has served industry leaders such as Microsoft and EMC in a longstanding consulting practice. She was Vice President of Product Marketing at CA and Managing Director, Systems Management Practice at Aberdeen Group.

She holds an MA from Boston College and a BA from the University of Massachusetts, which was punctuated by exchange programs at Oxford University, England and the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

Desktone Appoints Peter McKay as President and CEO

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Desktone, provider of a platform that enables hosted virtual desktops as a service, today announced that Peter McKay has joined the company as President and Chief Executive Officer.

McKay, who is now a member of Desktone’s board, has more than 25 years of experience in building enterprise software companies, including executive positions with Watchfire, IBM, eCredit, Computer Associates, and Parametric Technologies.

The appointment follows Desktone’s recent closing of a series B round of funding, which is being used to extend the company’s sales and marketing initiatives. Harry Ruda, Desktone’s previous CEO, will become chairman of the Board of Directors and will work alongside McKay to ensure a smooth transition.

McKay’s expertise in growing software companies comes from experience with both venture and IT organizations. Prior to joining Desktone, he was an executive at North Bridge Venture Partners and Insight Ventures. He also advised many venture and private equity-backed firms, including Spotfire, Application Security, and Lagan Software.

As President and CEO of Watchfire, McKay grew revenues from $3 million to $50 million, while securing leading marketshare and directing the company’s acquisition by IBM, where McKay continued on as VP of IBM Rational Software Group.

Prior to Watchfire, McKay was President and CEO of eCredit, increasing annualized revenue from $3 million to $25 million via a global direct and indirect channel strategy, before it was sold to Internet Capital Group. He came to eCredit having held senior executive positions at Parametric Technologies as well as Computer Associates, where he was Senior Vice President of Worldwide Indirect Sales responsible for over $500 million in revenue and a team of 350 people.

McKay holds a BA in Accounting and Finance from Northeastern University.

Parallels’ New President: Former Microsoft VP Birger Steen

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Parallels, a provider of cloud services automation and virtualization software, recently announced the appointment of Birger Steen as President of the company.

Mr. Steen comes to Parallels from Microsoft, where he was the Vice President of Small and Medium Business and Distribution, and will join the company in September 2010.

Prior to his current role at Microsoft, Mr. Steen held several senior positions at the company since joining in 2002. He started his Microsoft career at as General Manager in Norway and then moved on to serve as General Manager and Vice President of Microsoft Russia.

During his tenure there, Microsoft’s revenues from Russia grew tenfold.

Before Microsoft Mr. Steen was CEO of Scandinavia Online AB which was listed on the Stockholm and Oslo Stock Exchanges in 2000 under his leadership.

In his new role he will report to Mr. Beloussov and will be responsible for sales, marketing, product management, and support, as well as assisting Mr. Beloussov in transforming the company for the next stage of growth.

Birger holds a Master of Science in Computer Science and Industrial Engineering from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim and earned his MBA from INSEAD in France.

Former VMware, Sun Microsystems Exec Dane C. Smith Joins ClearEdge Power

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Former VMware and Sun Microsystems executive Dane C. Smith joins Hillsboro-based ClearEdge Power as senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development.

The global leader in microCHP fuel cell design and manufacturing adds Smith as an integral part of the senior management team to leverage his expertise in market development and rapid expansion.

During Smith’s five-year tenure at VMware, as vice president and general manager for the Americas and later as global vice president of systems integration and outsourcing, he helped build one of the fastest-growing software companies in history, according to IDC and Gartner.

In three years, Smith grew business in the Americas from less than $200 million to approximately $1 billion, and he led the teams responsible for closing many of the largest software and services contracts in the company’s history. He was also a key member of the VMware executive team that, in August 2007, produced one of the largest technology IPOs in the history of the New York Stock Exchange – second only to Google.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with some of the nation’s largest energy providers, as well as the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency, while at VMware and Sun,” said Smith. “I look forward to continuing those relationships to further alternative energy solutions in the U.S. and abroad as a leader for the ClearEdge Power team.”

Virtual Computer Names Andrew McKay SVP of Marketing

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Virtual Computer, provider of distributed desktop virtualization solutions, today announced the appointment of Andrew McKay as senior vice president of marketing.

Previously senior vice president at Attivio, which he co-founded, McKay has extensive executive-level experience and deep go-to-market success in the software industry. His appointment at Virtual Computer underscores the company’s commitment to expanding its market share and making NxTop the de facto standard in desktop virtualization.

With more than 20 years of executive marketing and sales experience in high-value, best-of-breed technology companies, McKay has a successful track record of delivering profitable growth and industry thought leadership through a strong ability to translate technology into customer-focused business value.

Prior to Attivio, McKay held executive positions at a number of startups and public companies, most notably Fast Search & Transfer (acquired by Microsoft). McKay started his professional career leading engineering groups at Hummingbird and Sybase. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Toronto.

Acronis Poaches Dana Prestigiacomo From CA, Appoints Her VP of Marketing

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Acronis, a provider of easy-to-use backup, recovery and security solutions for physical, virtual and cloud environments, has hired Dana Prestigiacomo as Vice President of Marketing.

Prestigiacomo joins Acronis from CA Technologies, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President of Marketing.

In this post, she oversaw a wide range of programs for their direct and channel business from market segmentation and analysis to campaigns focused on awareness, thought leadership, and demand generation.

Formerly Prestigiacomo served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Field and Channel Marketing, responsible for all global demand generation activities, marketing metrics and a wide range of programs.

Prior to joining CA Technologies in 2005, she held the position of Senior Vice President of Marketing at The Thomson Corporation, one of the world’s largest information companies which later merged with Reuters to become Thomas Reuters. In addition, Prestigiacomo served in a variety of senior brand and marketing positions within IBM.

Prestigiacomo earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of California, Davis.