Meet Patrick O’Donnell: Barracuda’s new SVP of Worldwide MSP Sales
We’re excited to share that today Barracuda announced the addition of a senior MSP sales executive to accelerate MSP sales. Patrick O’Donnell has joined Barracuda as SVP, Worldwide MSP Sales. In his new role, Patrick will be responsible for accelerating Barracuda’s MSP sales, driving the go-to-market strategy, execution, and programs for the sale of security, data protection, and Managed XDR offerings through the channel.
To help you get to know Patrick, we recently sat down with him to talk about what brought him to Barracuda, his goals for the year ahead, and what he’s looking forward to working on with the team.
Q&A with Patrick O’Donnell, SVP, Worldwide MSP Sales
What drew you to Barracuda?
As part of the search process, I was fortunate to meet many senior leaders of the company, including our CEO. In that process, I was impressed by the company's commitment to growing its MSP business. Moreover, I was struck by the company's commitment to its partners, employees, and its culture. This last item is no small thing for me. Company culture matters in ways big and small. I'm happy to say my initial positive impressions have held up in my first week or so on the job. Barracuda is a great place to practice one's respective craft and make a difference.
What impressions have you gotten working with the team so far?
The welcome has been as warm as it has been engaging, which is another way of saying this team recognizes we have lots to do to deliver the growth that is ours to capture in the marketplace. Everyone I've met has given me the impression that we are more than up to the task, and that impression is grounded in the word "team." That, to me, has been incredibly gratifying.
What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead?
Not letting perfect be the enemy of good for starters. That said, being good always means we can aim for better. In sales, that means driving more growth, which is predicated on having a well thought-out and tightly aligned plan across key stakeholders in the go-to-market function.
World War II general George S. Patton was famous for his line that went something like this: "A good plan, doggedly executed right now, is far better than a perfect plan carried out next week." I'd call out for emphasis that he said a GOOD plan versus a harebrained plan 🙂.
In the year ahead what I'd like to accomplish is developing with our teams good plans against which we execute well. And from good, we aim for better. And from better, we never lose sight of aiming to aspire to be "best."
What are you most excited to get to work on with the team?
See my answer to the year ahead question! To that I'd add one more thing: Helping develop and grow our sales profession inside Barracuda. Sellers are part of a proud profession, and Barracuda has an obligation to invest in their professional growth and development in their chosen careers. But each seller on our team also has an important personal responsibility to allocate time spent on skill development and growth. The responsibility is shared. This is true not only for every seller, but also every sales manager and leader.
What do you enjoy most about working in the channel?
The channel is a force multiplier for our business — and the partners operating in the channel play such a critical role protecting the digital assets of the clients they serve. What's special about the channel is these partners know they cannot do it alone, and they need, want, and desire the help, expertise, and responsive support and partnership they get with companies like Barracuda. Serving the channel with distinction is enjoyable because of the returns we can deliver for them, not to mention the rewards that redound to us.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Or is there anything that might surprise your team?
I am one of seven brothers in my family, so we're a close-knit crew. I have both U.S. and Irish citizenship, and my family and I love to travel throughout Ireland in our downtime. I spent more than five years living in Asia during my tenure with IBM, in both Japan and China. My wife and three children love to rope me into cooking as a family, but I confess they kicked me out of the kitchen until I enrolled in culinary boot camp last year. I was so remedial I had to take two bootcamp courses at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). I have newfound respect for anyone who works in the restaurant industry. Now I'm somewhat tolerable in the kitchen, but I do enjoy family time doing shared things, even if it means I only scrape the carrots. Lastly, I have a lifelong love for the work of the American Red Cross, an organization I've been involved with as a leadership volunteer since high school.
