Sign up for The Sterling Report today.
Click here to subscribe.
|
 |
| A Monthly Journal for Venture Partners and Enterprise Software Executives |
| Vol. 1 No. 9 |
In This Issue
 Venture Spotlight: Amal Johnson, Lightspeed Venture Partners
CEO Spotlight: Tom Noonan, Internet Security Systems
Killing The Platform Legend
Bruce Lee says your new VP Sales will Fail.
Leadership Under Crisis
Software M&A - Q1 in Review
Executive Job Listings
|
 |
|
|
Venture Spotlight: Amal Johnson, Lightspeed Venture Partners
By Angel Mehta, Managing Director, Sterling-Hoffman Management Consultants
|
|
Having successfully climbed the ranks at supply chain
software leader BAAN (where she would eventually serve as President of
the Americas), Amal Johnson found a new challenge in the world of early
stage venture investing after joining Lightspeed Venture Partners in
1999. All of a sudden, the rules of the game changed: for the first
time, winning meant slowing down. Angel Mehta, Managing Director at
Sterling-Hoffman, talks with Amal Johnson about the transition
from 'Leader' to 'Coach.'
|
|
Read full article >>
|
CEO Spotlight: Tom Noonan, Internet Security Systems
By Angel Mehta, Managing Director, Sterling-Hoffman Management Consultants
|
|
While most software companies continue to struggle, enterprise
security is one of the few sectors left that continues to expand - and
red hot Internet Security Systems (ISS) is leading the charge. Angel
Mehta, Managing Director at Sterling-Hoffman, talks to CEO Tom Noonan
about growth strategy, an entrepreneur's Christmas, and the emergence
(finally) of enterprise security as a mission critical priority.
|
|
Read full article >>
|
Killing The Platform Legend
By Michael Tanner, Managing Director, The Chasm Group, LLC
|
|
The world seems to think there is a well-known process for
creating rapid adoption of technology products. The story would read
like science-fiction had it not been loosely repeated over the years by
such leaders as Cisco, SAP, Microsoft, Autodesk, Oracle, Peoplesoft,
Siebel, Intel, and a host of other popular technology companies. In
fact, by hiring successful people from companies such as these it can be
easy to get the impression that by following the cookbook, success is
assured. But here is an important truth to think about: history is
written by the winners.
|
|
Read full article >>
|
Bruce Lee says your new VP Sales will Fail.
By Angel Mehta, Managing Director, Sterling-Hoffman Management Consultants
|
|
What does investing in the stock market have in common with hiring a VP
Sales? It's the fact that enormous amounts of due diligence up front in
both cases often yield the same results as throwing a dart. Enterprise
software CEO's considering a strategic hire at the executive level
should pay serious attention before they buy in to a search firm's
promise to deliver 'only the best'. Paraphrasing Bruce Lee, Sterling-
Hoffman's Angel Mehta offers a sobering & controversial commentary on
why the success mantra 'Hire only A+ players' is flimsy at best, and how
enterprise software companies can increase the chances that the next
executive hire will actually succeed.
|
|
Read full article >>
|
Leadership Under Crisis
By Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, Managing Partner, Recognition Group, LLC
|
|
To paraphrase Justice Stewart, flawed leadership is one of
those things you know when you see. You don't have to be a corporate
restructuring professional to be able to pick out a CEO in denial (a
quick perusal of daytime business cable TV should do the trick) or a
company embarking on a quixotic new market strategy while ignoring its
most basic failings in client service. But as someone who is interested
in helping a business navigate an operational or financial
restructuring, what sorts of personalities in the executive suite can
impede progress? What traits do you look to avoid? And, ultimately, what
do you do about it?
|
|
Read full article >>
|
Software M&A - Q1 in Review
By Ken Bender & Allen Cinzori, Software Equity Group
|
|
Contrary to the overall economy, the software industry showed some
encouraging signs over the quarter. Still, M&A activity, which strongly
correlates with the economic environment, faced its share of challenges
during the quarter, slowing considerably as world affairs put many
buyers and sellers on a temporary holding pattern.
|
|
Read full article >>
|
|
|
|
Executive Job Listings
|
| VP Americas |
North East |
|
Mid-level front office applications vendor with over $30m in revenue
seeking a world class enterprise software sales leader to take
leadership over 150+ employee organization including sales, pre-sales,
and alliances functions. For consideration, candidates must have
previous experience managing organizations of at least $100m.
Candidates that have changed jobs on more than 3 occasions over last 5
years will not be considered.
|
Apply to: amehta@SterlingHoffman.com
|
| EVP Sales |
Bay Area, CA |
|
Supply chain software company with a strong customer base and top tier
investors seeking an EVP Sales to add both strategic impact and excellence
in execution. Candidates must be interested in and capable of personally
selling prior to building a team. Domain expertise in Hi-Tech Manufacturing,
Retail and CPG as well as past successes in young company leadership are
essential.
|
Apply to: MHF@SterlingHoffman.com
|
| SVP Sales |
Bay Area, CA |
|
Enterprise collaboration applications firm looking for a seasoned sales
leader with a demonstrated track record in growing revenue from under $5M to
over $50M. Contacts at F500 Discrete Manufacturing companies a must. Past
achievement with leading PLM software companies (i.e. MatrixOne) and
international indirect channel experience are significant assets.
|
Apply to: MHF@SterlingHoffman.com
|
| VP Sales |
North East |
|
Early stage enterprise security software vendor seeks VP Sales that
possesses superb rolodex within key financial services accounts on wall
street as well as at least 4 years selling in a pre-chasm environment to
technical buyers. Ideal candidate will have some tenure with leading
security software vendor such as ISS, Verisign, RSA, or Symantec.
Candidates that have changed jobs more than 3 times in the last 5 years
will not be considered.
|
Apply to: jcf@sterlinghoffman.net
|
| EVP Sales |
Bay Area, CA |
|
Early stage Knowledge Management software company looking to acquire a
high-performance VP Sales with a lengthy track record of success in building
sales teams around early adopter solutions. Candidates must be able to
demonstrate past achievement in securing early customer wins while providing
well thought out, prioritized feedback to product development.
|
Apply to: MHF@sterlinghoffman.net
|
| EVP Sales |
Boston, MA |
|
Young Knowledge Management software firm with world class venture capital
financing seeking an experienced VP of Sales to drive the company past beta
stage. For consideration candidates need to have successful past experience
in building young businesses from zero to $20M. The ability to create
compelling CXO value propositions is essential.
|
Apply to: MHF@sterlinghoffman.net
|
| VP Marketing |
West Coast |
|
Middle market enterprise applications vendor with revenue approaching
$100m seeks a senior marketing executive that has held VP-level
marketing role with at least one billion dollar ISV over last 5 years.
Experience working with wall street and investors is critical.
Technical degree preferred due to nature of corporate culture.
Candidates that have changed jobs on more than 3 occasions over last 5
years will not be considered.
|
Apply to: jcf@sterlinghoffman.net
|
|
Note: We appreciate all submissions, but only qualified executives will be contacted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
