No Big Changes: Manny Rivelo to 'Polish Corners' as New ConnectWise CEO

Manny Rivelo, ConnectWise's new CEO, says no big, immediate changes are on the horizon for the IT management software giant. He intends to follow outgoing CEO Jason Magee's vision for growth and merely "polish the corners" on its current projects.

Channel Futures told you about the leadership change at ConnectWise earlier this week. The move comes after a busy few weeks at the company, which revamped its MSP marketplace and acquired two data protection-focused companies.

Channel Futures sat down with Magee and Rivelo to ask how they see the company's future and what partners should expect.

ConnectWise's Jason Magee

Channel Futures: What led to the decision to step down?

Jason Magee: I've been with ConnectWise since 2012 and CEO for five-and-a-half years. By the time I entirely exit (and I don't know if I'll fully exit), I'll always be the biggest fan. It's been an incredible, tremendous journey. But honestly, the timing was just right for me. We've taken the original vision and mission of the founders, led by Arnie Bellini, to a whole new level. We also did what was needed for the partner community by solidifying the No. 1 community in the industry. The company is in much better shape than ever between the leadership, the adoption of hyperautomation and AI, as well as the acquisitions of the last year. But now it's about integration of the acquisitions, about scaling and execution.

Related:Former Forcepoint CEO to Succeed Magee at ConnectWise

CF: What led to Rivelo's selection as new CEO?

JM: Manny went through the process of hiring, like a lot of our candidates.

Manny Rivelo: I stepped down from my role at Forcepoint in July and expected to take six months off afterward. But when the news of my departure hit, recruiters began calling me and a lot of opportunities came around. This one came from a different angle and was just unique enough that I had to return the call.

CF: What should partners expect to see from you taking over?

MR: I don't think we're planning on changing anything. Regarding high-level vision and strategy, we're dead-on regarding that. I may polish corners here or there, but I intend to focus on customer needs.

I am committed to driving two things at ConnectWise: We will be the only company in the market with MSP+ [certification] from a top-line, bottom-line, operational efficiencies perspective, and every benefit it brings to the MSP communities and to the end customers. That, to me, is critical.

The second piece is that this company is built with this massive ecosystem of input from the IT Nation, which guides us in what we need. We're also the biggest beneficiary of customer input and on partnering. All we have to do is stay listening to, and delivering to, that community. We will build this company around that community, growing that community and delivering the solutions they need.

So that, to me, is critical. We will continue to build this company around that community, growing that community and creating the solutions that they need to support their end customers and be highly profitable.

CF: Do you expect any struggles to arise during the leadership transition?

MR: I don't expect anything. It's a leadership change. So the employees get to understand my style, which might be a little different from Jason's. But my goal is just letting people get to know who I am and how I like to operate and make sure that we're making decisions. What I plan on doing is ensuring that we're working on the critical goals. There's a lot to do in this industry. Let's get the first thing done, not three things partially.