Acronis names Patrick Pulvermueller as new CEO

Cybersecurity vendor Acronis has named Patrick Pulvermueller as its new chief executive effective 1 July 2021.

Pulvermueller, who joined from domain services provider GoDaddy, replaced founder Serguei Beloussov, who had been CEO since 2013. Beloussov moved to the role of chief research officer and still remains on Acronis’ board.

"I'm proud of Acronis' success to date and believe now is the perfect time to pass the baton to Patrick,” Belussov said.

“We did an extensive search for an outstanding leader and Patrick's track record of success, partner-led approach, and operational expertise were obvious strengths. He has the experience to continue pushing Acronis' mission, improve our operations, and build a multi-billion dollar revenue stream – taking the organization, the product portfolio, and our partnerships to the next level."

The hire comes following Acronis raising US$250 million from a recent investment round to fund technology and product development and improving its go-to-market initiatives by expanding its channel partner network.

Speaking on his appointment, Pulvermuller said, "I am excited to join the Acronis team, engage with our tremendous partner network, and continue Serguei's vision of providing industry-changing cyber protection services.".

"I look forward to contributing my knowledge and experience in the service provider business to ensure we take full advantage of that opportunity."

Acronis aims to tap into Pulvermuller’s experience in the IT channel, where he was GoDaddy’s president of its partner business before joining Acronis. In his previous role, he helped expand GoDaddy’s partner network of resellers and agency partners.

Acronis board chairman René Bonvanie said, "Having added more than US$1.5 billion in valuation during the past 18 months, Acronis is on a tremendous growth trajectory thanks to the cyber protection strategy put in motion by Serguei.”

“Given Patrick's demonstrated expertise in helping rapid growth companies scale and proven success in a channel-centric environment, we are confident he will accelerate Acronis' success and prepare the company for the next stage."