Citrix ANZ channel chief Neels du Plooy departs

Citrix ANZ director of channels and alliances Neels du Plooy has revealed he has left the cloud and virtualisation software vendor after over a year in the role.

Announcing on LinkedIn, du Plooy said he was set to start on a new role on 4 July 2022 after a short break with a company yet to be disclosed. 

“Today is my last day here at Citrix. I am taking a short break and starting a new and exciting role on the 4th of July!” du Plooy’s LinkedIn post read.

“It has been a short but eventful 13 months. I was privileged to have worked with some great people, met a lot of new people, partners and customers. I am especially thankful to have led such an exceptional team and being part of a very strong leadership team here in ANZ! Thank you to ALL for being part of my journey!

“Wishing the team here at Citrix only the very best for what will be an exciting 6 months ahead!”

Citrix confirmed du Plooy's departure, with a spokesperson issuing the following statement:

“Neels du Plooy, who led the Channel team in ANZ, has decided to leave the company and pursue other interests. Citrix would like to thank Neels for his contributions to the business. Citrix remains committed to our customers, partners and the ANZ market and will ensure a smooth transition."

"We work closely with our customers and partners to ensure there is no impact to the business.”

The spokesperson added that Citrix APJ channel director Joanne Dean will be filling in for du Plooy as a replacement is sought. 

Neels du Plooy joined Citrix in April 2021 following a nine-year stint at VMware, where he was ANZ head of channels from 2016 to 2021, and senior partner business manager from 2012 to 2016.

Previous stints include regional channel manager - strategic accounts at UC vendor ShoreTel (now part of Mitel) from 2010 to 2012, partner business manager at Cisco from 2002 to 2010 and channel manager at Avaya’s South African office from 2000 to 2002.

In April, Citrix’s shareholders approved the acquisition of the vendor by Evergreen Coast Capital to take it private and merge with TIBCO Software, a data integration and analysis software developer.