Avaya Appoints Former Optus VP Simon Vatcher As Managing Director A/NZ

Collaboration and communications solutions leader prioritising data-driven growth strategies for customers and partners

Sydney, Australia - To drive long-term digital strategies and expedite operational recoveries for organisations and businesses in the region, Avaya (NYSE:AVYA) has appointed Simon Vatcher to the role of Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ), with responsibility for increasing adoption of Avaya’s multi-modal, open unified communications (UC) and contact centre (CC) software and services among enterprises through to SMEs.

Based in Sydney, Vatcher is tasked with expanding the market presence for Avaya’s cloud, remote work and employee experience technologies, including the Avaya OneCloud multi-cloud application ecosystem, the recently-launched Avaya Cloud Office unified communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) platform, and Avaya OneCloud Subscription, which offers flexible payment options to ‘consume’ the company’s portfolio of solutions.

“Instead of looking back to old operating models or returning to the status quo, companies will need to realign their workflows and processes so their business can move and adapt quickly in the face of challenges that have already reshaped how we work, travel and consume,” said Simon Vatcher, Managing Director A/NZ at Avaya.

“A recent survey of APAC organisations revealed one third weren’t prepared for the impact of Covid-19 while 80 percent admitted their employees’ ability to work was inhibited after government-sanctioned lockdowns came into effect earlier this year. That means decisions made now will have a profound influence on the future of the digital workplace.”

“My priority is to introduce data-driven growth strategies so that our customers and partners can not only rapidly deploy our comprehensive communication solutions but maximise the benefits they gain from those capabilities in shorter time scales. We must enable our customers to adapt, ensure employees are equipped to perform and upskill, and boost overall customer service responsiveness,” Vatcher added.

In the last six months, Avaya has delivered communications, collaboration, and remote work solutions to leading organisations of all sizes in A/NZ’s financial services, healthcare and government sectors, among other industries.

Avaya also continues to refine its A/NZ channel program to provide new and recurring revenue opportunities to partners. To supplement its existing distributor and reseller channels, Avaya recently introduced a Master Agent program for Avaya Cloud Office and has since signed agreements with CommsPlus Distribution and VExpress to provide services for the UCaaS platform locally.

Vatcher joins Avaya with more than 20 years’ technology industry experience in Australia and abroad, during which time he has held senior leadership and general management roles at medium- to large-sized organisations, including CSC, Fujitsu and Logica. He was most recently Vice President at Optus, preceded by time as Managing Director for Optus Business.

Vatcher is based in Sydney and reports to Sami Ammous, Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific at Avaya.

“Simon’s experience in the communications and telco industries in Australia and abroad ensures we can enable organisations and their employees to connect, collaborate, and ultimately better service their customers at this time of heightened need,” said Ammous.

“With a renewed local strategy focused on long-term, high value relationships with customers and partners, our A/NZ business is poised to provide the market with tailored solutions that make them truly agile so they can adapt quickly, and deliver exceptional experiences for their teams and customers under any conditions.”

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