Avaya appoints Michael Bayer to lead EMEA field operations organisation

In his new role, Bayer will lead the region's sales and operations and also will work with customers to deliver Avaya's advanced Unified Communications, IP Telephony and Contact Centre solutions across EMEA.

Bayer joins Avaya from Motorola, where he was vice-president and general manager for Motorola EMEA's Enterprise and Mobility business, and a member of Motorola's global steering committee for country management. While at Motorola, Bayer helped grow key enterprise and mobility application segments, and worked to foster new partnerships and solid customer relationships for the high-revenue, high-growth unit.

Prior to working at Motorola, Bayer was general manager and area vice-president for several European regions at Symbol Technologies (acquired by Motorola in 2007). Bayer also has served in multiple leadership roles at Cisco Systems and T-Mobil (a division of Deutsche Telekom).

"Avaya is a dynamic entity, swiftly aligning its products, services, and customer focus to truly transform communications in EMEA," said Bayer. "I've watched Avaya leading the charge on critical areas for both enterprise and small business success, including unified communications, IPT and contact centre advances, and converged communications and I am looking forward to leading the charge for Avaya EMEA as we deliver leading communications products and services to our customers."

"We are pleased to bring a leader of Michael's calibre on board to help continue the growth in the EMEA region," said Todd Abbott, senior vice president and president, field operations, Avaya. "Michael brings a solid reputation for success in both partner and competitive companies, and his strong track record in providing leadership will be an asset to the global sales organisation as Avaya continues to increase its presence and value to our growing customer base."