‘The goal is to keep strengthening what we’ve already built and ensure we stay aligned as we grow globally,’ says new CFO Matt Sullivan.
In a move to better align with its core values and accelerate growth in global markets, Climb Global Solutions has announced several key leadership changes by tapping a new chief marketing officer and chief financial officer.
Kim Stevens, has been promoted from VP of worldwide marketing to CMO and Matt Sullivan has been promoted from VP and chief accounting officer to CFO.
Stevens, who assumed the role on Monday, has been handling both European and North American responsibilities and comes as the Eatontown, N.J.-based distributor continues to focus on enhancing its internal structure to keep pace with its rapid growth.
“Kim has been a driving force behind our marketing efforts and has been instrumental in the company’s success,” Dale Foster, Climb CEO, told CRN. “She’s already taking on a major role in coordinating our corporate strategy, ensuring that our internal and external communications are aligned with the business’s evolving needs.
Charles Bass, who was CMO and VP of alliances–a role previously consolidated, will continue to focus on alliances, reflecting the company’s growing scale and need for more specialized leadership.
[Related: Climb Channel Solutions CEO: ‘Our Goal Is To Double The Business By 2026’]
“We’ve grown faster than our structure has widened, and while we’re not looking to build bureaucracy, it’s essential that we split these roles to better support the growth we’re experiencing,” Foster (pictured) said.
Stevens is looking forward to harnessing the success Climb has had in North America and taking it to a global scale.
“There are things we might do in North America and things in EMEA that are different, but the way I look at it is all boats rise when the water rises,” Stevens told CRN. “EMEA has done some really, really cool things that we are taking a page out of their playbook, and vice versa. We all just get better.”
Over the past year, the company has made significant investments in both team development and technology.
“Kim has done a tremendous job of uniting diverse marketing teams across different regions and brands,” Bass told CRN. “Her ability to align and standardize our marketing efforts was the next logical step in our journey, especially as we continue to expand globally. While operations, sales and alliances remain separate, marketing is the one area where we wanted to ensure consistency.”
Stevens joined the company in 2022 as director of national alliances. Prior to that, she was the community leader for Women of the Channel at CRN parent company The Channel Company and has also held sales roles at Fujifilm and Kaspersky Lab.
Going forward, she emphasized the importance of becoming a data-driven distributor by leveraging both internal and external data, including “intent-based data,” to better understand customer behavior and refine their sales strategies.
“We can look at what people are searching for, and can we create an ideal customer profile,” she said. “We’re working with vendors to identify who might be in market and tailoring our demand generation activities based on that. That’s going to be a big initiative for this year as the company scales.”
Matt Sullivan assumed the role as CFO earlier this month after former CFO Drew Clark retired. Clark is staying on as an advisor until April, according to Foster.
“Matt has been with us for six years and has earned the full trust of the team, not just mine, but everyone’s,” Foster said. “He’s worked more closely with the team than anyone in our previous CFO’s tenure. It was an easy call. When Drew decided to retire, we didn’t feel the need for a CFO search. We already had a proven leader in Matt, and he has the full backing of the entire team.”
Sullivan joined Climb in 2019 as VP and corporate controller with previous roles as director of account and audit manager. At Climb, he played a crucial role behind the scenes in managing public earnings releases and overseeing key financial strategies.
“I’ve had the privilege of supporting five acquisitions so far, with possibly more on the horizon,” he told CRN. “It’s been an exciting journey, and stepping into this new role, I’m focused on maintaining the momentum while overseeing our international operations.”
One area the company is focusing on for improvement is foreign exchange management, an increasing concern as the business continues to engage in cross-border transactions.
“With more international operations, we’re buying in one currency and selling in another,” Sullivan said. “It’s crucial to have the right strategies and positions in place to navigate this. The goal is to keep strengthening what we’ve already built and ensure we stay aligned as we grow globally.”
