Patrick Pulvermueller, a cloud software and hosting industry veteran, has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Acronis, a global provider of cyber security solutions, beginning July 1, 2021. Serguei Beloussov, who founded the firm in 2003 and has served as CEO since 2013, is succeeded by Mr. Pulvermueller.
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Patrick Pulvermueller comes to Acronis after serving as President of the Partner Business at GoDaddy. He oversaw the company’s strategic growth of their Hosting, Productivity, and Security services via resellers and agency partners in that capacity.
Mr. Pulvermueller is a specialist in establishing effective cloud-based go-to-market strategies, notably through service providers, resale channels, and strategic partnerships, thanks to his experience and product development abilities. He was formerly the CEO of Host Europe GmbH and the Group CEO of Host Europe Group (HEG), where he had previously served as Group COO.
“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,” said Patrick Pulvermueller. “Acronis is poised to disrupt the data protection and cybersecurity markets while redefining how service providers leverage remote monitoring and management (RMM) and professional services automation (PSA) services. I look forward to contributing my knowledge and experience in the service provider business to ensure we take full advantage of that opportunity.”
Valuing Acronis at More than $2.5 Billion
Patrick Pulvermueller takes over at a pivotal time. Acronis has secured approximately $250 million in funding from CVC Capital Partners VII and other investors, valuing the firm at more than $2.5 billion. In addition to speeding up technology and product development, Mr. Pulvermueller plans to use the funds to expand its broad partner network, which includes managed service providers (MSPs), managed security service providers (MSSPs), hosting partners, cloud distributors, and cloud aggregators.
“Having added more than $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,” said René Bonvanie, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Acronis. “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.”
Serguei Beloussov, Acronis’ founder and major stakeholder, will remain active in the firm as a member of the Board of Directors and Acronis Chief Research Officer, overseeing the company’s technology and research strategy. He’ll be responsible for the company’s sophisticated technologies, which include Autonomous Research, Data Management, Cyber Network, Cyber Platform, and Enterprise goods. He’ll also work to expand Acronis’ university connections program, which he co-founded in 2019 with the Schaffhausen Institute of Technology (SIT) in Switzerland.
“I’m proud of Acronis’ success to date and believe now is the perfect time to pass the baton to Patrick,” said Serguei Beloussov. “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.”
