Okta Names Splunk Vet New Global Channel Chief

Okta has hired Splunk vet Bill Hustad as its new global channel chief, replacing Steve Dodenhoff, who recently left the company.

Steve Rowland, Okta’s chief revenue officer, announced the hiring in a blog. Hustad was with Splunk more than five years and most recently was vice president of alliances and channel ecosystems.

Dodenhoff joined Okta in April of last year and left the company in June.

As senior vice president of global partners and alliances, Hustad will lead Okta’s global partner team. He’ll be responsible for Okta’s indirect go-to-market (GTM) strategy, execution and bookings globally.

Rowland said he worked closely with Hustad in the past. He said he experienced firsthand Hustad’s “incredible business acumen and approach to leadership.”

Okta’s Bill Hustad

Hustad is known for driving long-term growth with strong business development practices across geographic and market segments, he said.

Hustad is well-known in the industry for his “standout leadership and experience” in driving successful partner programs, Rowland said.

Okta Has ‘Tremendous Opportunity’

As the new Okta channel chief, Hustad said he believes the company has “tremendous opportunity given the dynamic nature of the market.”

“From the growth of multicloud and hybrid-cloud environments, to the rise of remote work and the proliferation of applications, identity is at the heart of it all,” he said. “And Okta is a company’s core identity engine. Every digital interaction requires identity, from moving to the cloud, modernizing security, and building digital products and services.”

Okta is helping organizations around the world securely connect the right people to the right technologies at the right time, Hustad said.

“Giving our customers the ability to smoothly navigate systems, tools and resources is extremely important,” he said. “But it’s even more important that we ensure a secure experience. The confirmations, the patterns, the data and the availability of this data are key. If we continue to manage these elements well, we’ll not only help customers meet their security goals, but also free them up to focus on other critical aspects of the business.”