SugarCRM has further bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of Chris Pennington as Chief Customer Officer. Pennington joins from Professional Advantage, a leading financial management software and services provider with operations in Australia, US and the UK. He had spent nearly fifteen years at that company, most recently as General Manager (Australia) and Vice President (USA). There Pennington helped to grow the company and SugarCRM will hope that he can replicate his success.
He will report direct to Chris Charlton, CEO. Charlton commented “Chris is a big believer in listening to what clients have to say. He has an intense desire to ensure that we’re regarded as the easiest company in the industry to work with and his primary objective in this role is to deliver world-class customer outcomes by leading and building enhanced delivery capabilities and success for our valued customers.”
While he appears to have little experience of SugarCRM itself, at Professional Advantage he worked with a wide array of vendors. He will be responsible for global professional services and support. Pennington commented: “I’m very excited to join an organization that is dynamic and poised for growth. In my view, a great customer experience should be akin to a great business. I’m looking forward to building long, loyal relationships, retaining clients and helping them transition through change.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean?
Pennington has a deep experience of running a professional services organisation. It is likely that it is for this experience that Charlton chose him. That he has not worked with SugarCrM before should be no barrier to success. Will he look to change the professional services organisation over the next few months? Following his appointment Charlton is building a team that he hopes will enable him to succeed. In Pennington he has found a leader capable of driving success both for customers and within the organisation.
