SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vertical Communications, Inc., a provider of next-generation IP telephony systems and integrated B2B unified communications (UC) solutions, today announced the addition of three new executive hires as part of its recent recruitment efforts focused on product innovation in enterprise mobile UC, and driving increased sales, market penetration and awareness of its products and services.
Newly appointed Vice President of Engineering, Ajay Dankar, is responsible for Vertical’s Wave IP product line and strategic engineering initiatives. Prior to joining Vertical, Dankar’s 17 years of experience in software, technology and engineering management has included the startup of UC Planet, which provided innovative solutions for video and voice usage control for SIP-based systems. He also worked for Microsoft’s Unified Communications Product Group, overseeing development and quality of the MS Live Communications Server and Office Communications Server product lines. Dankar earned his Master of Science degree from the University of Florida and his Bachelor of Technology Electrical Engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, India. He holds a patent in the field of credit card verifications via mobile location.
Bringing more than 24 years of solid executive management experience to Vertical, Bryan Merrell, Vice President of Sales for the company’s new Eastern Region, oversees dealer recruitment and directs a team of regional sales managers in support of Vertical’s dealer channel there. Prior to joining Vertical, Merrell was a Regional Vice President of Sales with Mitel after the company’s acquisition of Inter-Tel, where he also held roles as Regional Director of Sales, Southeast, and General Manager of the Tampa office. Previously, Merrell was Director of Customer Service with Time Warner Cable. He received his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Vertical’s new Vice President of Marketing, Steven De Korne, is responsible for the implementation of the company’s global brand strategy, marketing and business development initiatives. De Korne also comes to Vertical from Mitel, where he directed and managed the national Channel Sales and Marketing efforts for the publically-traded global telecommunications manufacturer. Prior to Mitel, De Korne was Vice President of Marketing for Inter-Tel, Inc. De Korne has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas A&M University.
“With the welcome addition of Ajay, Bryan and Steven to the other members of our executive team, we have the experienced leadership in place essential to ensuring the continued development and delivery of the industry’s best UC solutions and services to support the evolving business needs of our customers,” said Peter Bailey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertical.
About Vertical Communications
Vertical Communications, Inc. is a unified communications (UC) and IP telephony solutions provider for business-to-business communications. Vertical’s business communications systems provide the enterprise-class functionality necessary to deliver seamless connectivity, collaboration and mobility through smart, powerful telephony and voice applications that are simple to deploy and use while substantially reducing operating costs. With more than 200,000 customers across all industries, Vertical solutions are distributed through a network of more than 3,000 authorized dealers throughout North America and in Europe. For more information, visit www.vertical.com.