Top Dog at Palo Alto Networks bids adieu

Palo Alto Networks global channel chief Tom Evans has left the building and headed off to pastures green.

Evans bid farewell to Palo Alto Networks, leaving behind a 6.5-year legacy. The company remains tight-lipped about his next move.

The company said: “After a splendid 6.5 years, Tom Evans has chosen to part ways with the company to chase a new opportunity.”

Tom Evans’ departure has initiated a new chapter for Palo Alto Networks. However, the company is committed to maintaining its momentum and ensuring a seamless transition. ‘We’ve kick-started the hunt for his successor,’ the company’s statement read, reassuring the audience of its proactive approach. ‘We’re grateful for Tom’s contributions and wish him the best for his future pursuits.’

Tom Evans climbed the ranks to become the vice president of worldwide channel sales at Palo Alto Networks in December 2022. His journey began in mid-2017 as the director for public cloud partners, and he saw multiple promotions before being crowned the worldwide channel chief.

Last October, he unveiled significant updates to the vendor’s NextWave Partner Programme. The revamp aimed to boost partner profitability and predictability, enabling the channel to sell more products across its extensive cybersecurity platform.

Palo Alto Networks’ autumn announcement included shifting to a compensation model based on back-end rebates and introducing a more lucrative incentive for individual partner sales representatives.

In February, Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora revealed a radical revamp of the vendor’s growth strategy, aiming to accelerate tool adoption on its consolidated platform.