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SolarWinds accelerates partner growth across Africa. Johannesburg, 02 Sep 2026 Sheetal Kalra, Channel Account Manager, Middle East, Turkiye and English-Speaking Africa at SolarWinds. (Image: AI-enhanced) SolarWinds is expanding its channel opportunity across Africa, giving partners new opportunities to grow their businesses through its IT infrastructure management, monitoring and observability portfolio. This is according to Sheetal Kalra, Channel Account Manager, Middle East, Türkiye and English-Speaking Africa at SolarWinds, following a series of customer and partner engagements across the continent. Kalra says: "Partners across Africa are showing strong interest in the opportunities SolarWinds can bring to their customers, particularly around our latest AI innovations. We are seeing significant potential across East, West and southern Africa, and our focus is on working closely with partners to help them develop the capabilities, pipeline and customer relationships needed to grow." Kalra says partners in Africa are highly receptive to the opportunities for them to grow with SolarWinds. The company recently announced updates to its partner programme, offering new tiered benefits with more incentives and higher discounts at higher tiers; enhanced marketing investments including proposal-based marketing funds: co-brandable assets and ready-to-execute campaigns in a box; improved enablement opportunities and a better partner experience overall. She notes that distributors such as ATS Network Management play an important role in extending SolarWinds' reach across the region and supporting partners as they develop their capabilities and customer opportunities. Through continued innovation and its refreshed partner programme, SolarWinds aims to further expand its presence across Africa while creating new growth opportunities for its channel ecosystem. Kalra says: "One of the biggest changes that we have brought into our partner programme is to revise our channel-initiated revenue targets for our partner community. We have also brought in some new competencies that our partners have to fulfil for them to get elevated to higher partnership tiers. In response to feedback from our partners, we have also strengthened the commercial benefits and price protection available at higher tiers." SolarWinds has four partnership tiers - authorised partner level, followed by advanced, premier and elite. Each level, from advanced partnership to elite partnership, has its own revenue targets, required competencies and discount structures. "We encourage our partners across Africa to take advantage of these opportunities by investing in training, achieving the necessary certifications and developing the competencies needed to progress through the partner programme," she says. "SolarWinds enables partners to conduct demos and proofs of concept, helping them build confidence and trust with their end customers. ATS Network Management also provides technical support and guidance, allowing partners to develop their capabilities and gain the experience they need to eventually manage the business independently." Kalra adds: "I have taken it as a personal challenge to ensure that, before the end of this year, we see a significant number of partners across Africa progress into higher tiers. I'm already having very active conversations with the partners across the whole of the country. We want to help our partners build stronger pipelines, develop the right competencies and ultimately become more self-sufficient in growing their SolarWinds businesses. Our goal is to give them the commercial, technical and enablement support they need to build sustainable customer relationships and grow profitably."

SolarWinds names new finance chief as CEO plans exit. Fri, 28th Aug 2026 (Today) SolarWinds has announced a chief executive succession plan and appointed Samuel Monti as Chief Financial Officer. President and Chief Executive Officer Sudhakar Ramakrishna will step down at the end of September. Cullen Childress will serve as interim Chief Executive Officer while the board completes the transition. Ramakrishna will remain an adviser and shareholder, and SolarWinds expects to name a permanent successor in the coming weeks. Monti will succeed Tim Karaca, who told the board earlier this year that he wanted to pursue opportunities outside the company. Karaca will remain an adviser through the end of the year. The changes affect two of the most senior roles at the software group as it continues work on its observability and IT management products. Childress has been with SolarWinds for more than five years and has overseen the product portfolio, including development of the SolarWinds platform and the newer SW1 Agentic platform. Leadership change The board has been conducting what SolarWinds described as a structured succession process in recent months, with Ramakrishna involved. His departure will end a tenure of nearly six years as the company's top executive. Childress will be supported by Ramakrishna and the existing senior leadership team during the handover, in a move intended to maintain continuity for customers, partners and employees. Monti brings more than three decades of experience in finance, accounting and operations roles at public and private software companies. His previous positions include Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, he was Chief Financial Officer at WP Engine. Before that, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Epicor Software, where he helped shape a software-as-a-service financial strategy that delivered double-digit recurring revenue growth and a threefold increase in enterprise valuation. AI backdrop The leadership changes come as SolarWinds continues to develop its agentic AI roadmap, with further product additions expected later this year. The succession process comes amid a broader push by software suppliers to weave AI tools into established product lines while managing costs and investor expectations. At SolarWinds, the appointment of a new finance chief alongside a chief executive transition suggests the board is reshaping senior leadership as that strategy advances. Ramakrishna linked the transition to the company's current position and its next phase. "This transition has been planned deliberately, and the leadership team, strategy, and roadmap are stronger than at any point in my nearly six years here," said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, President and Chief Executive Officer of SolarWinds. "Sam is the right partner for this next chapter - he has scaled and transformed complex software businesses, and he brings the energy and operating rigor SolarWinds needs as we take agentic AI to market. SolarWinds is an integral part of who I am, and I intend to stay close to it." Monti said he joined the company because of its market position and product direction. "I joined SolarWinds because the combination of a trusted brand, a deeply loyal customer base, a world class partner community, and a genuine AI-driven product opportunity is rare," said Samuel Monti, Chief Financial Officer of SolarWinds. "My focus is on giving this team the operating clarity and capital to move quickly - on our customers, our partner community, our product, and on the growth ahead." SolarWinds did not disclose financial terms for Monti's appointment or provide further detail on the shortlist for the permanent Chief Executive Officer role. It said only that the succession process has been led by the board and that Ramakrishna's successor is expected to be announced soon.

SolarWinds announces CEO succession plan and appoints Samuel Monti as Chief Financial Officer. SolarWinds, a leading provider of simple, powerful, secure observability and IT management software, announced a planned CEO succession and the appointment of Samuel Monti as its Chief Financial Officer. Sudhakar Ramakrishna, President and Chief Executive Officer, will conclude his tenure as CEO on September 30, 2026, following a structured, board-led succession process he has helped lead over the past several months. Ramakrishna will remain an advisor to the company and continues to be personally invested in its success as a shareholder. The company expects to announce his successor in the coming weeks. Cullen Childress will serve as the company's interim CEO through the transition. Childress has been with SolarWinds for over 5 years and has led the company's product portfolio, including the buildout of the SolarWinds platform and the new SW1 Agentic platform, announced in April. Childress will be closely supported by Ramakrishna and the company's existing senior leadership team, ensuring continuity for customers, partners, and employees. Monti will succeed Tim Karaca, who informed the board earlier this year of his interest to pursue outside opportunities, as CFO. We are grateful for Tim's many contributions over the last four years and for his collaboration with the board to set up the organization and Monti for ongoing success. Karaca will remain an advisor to the company through the end of 2026. "This transition has been planned deliberately, and the leadership team, strategy, and roadmap are stronger than at any point in my nearly six years here," said Ramakrishna. "Sam is the right partner for this next chapter - he has scaled and transformed complex software businesses, and he brings the energy and operating rigor SolarWinds needs as we take agentic AI to market. SolarWinds is an integral part of who I am, and I intend to stay close to it." "I joined SolarWinds because the combination of a trusted brand, a deeply loyal customer base, a world class partner community, and a genuine AI-driven product opportunity is rare," said Monti. "My focus is on giving this team the operating clarity and capital to move quickly - on our customers, our partner community, our product, and on the growth ahead." Monti brings more than three decades of finance, accounting, and operational leadership across public and private software companies, including prior roles as chief executive officer, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer. Most recently Monti served as Chief Financial Officer at WP Engine. Previously, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Epicor Software where Monti built and led the SaaS financial profile strategy that resulted in double digit recurring revenue growth and a 3X enterprise valuation. Monti's "customer value orientation" leverages broad leadership, operational and capital acumen, and is ideally suited for our next phase of growth.