Avaya today announced that Laurent Philonenko has been named senior vice president of Corporate Strategy and Development – CTO. In this role, Laurent will accelerate the development and execution of Avaya’s short- and long-term growth and engagement strategies. He also joins the Avaya Executive Council.

As part of his focus on Avaya growth strategies, Laurent will oversee Avaya Labs, architecture and consulting groups, as well as the Avaya DevConnect developer program and technology partnerships.

Laurent most recently served as vice president, Corporate Strategy and Development for Avaya. Prior to his arrival at Avaya, Laurent successively served as Vice-President and General Manager of several business units and as Chief Technology Officer for Cisco’s Collaboration Technology Group, and previously as CEO for Genesys.

Laurent is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and holds a master’s degree in Management Science from Paris University. He holds nine U.S. patents.

“Laurent is a recognized leader and proven visionary in enterprise collaboration and communications. His experience and years in the industry have given him a unique understanding of our customers’ evolving business needs and how they align with opportunities available through technological innovation. We welcome him and look forward to his leadership and contributions as part of the Avaya Executive Council,”said Kevin J. Kennedy, CEO, Avaya.