‘Juan brought a lot of stability to SuperOps,” says Arvind Parthiban, Superops CEO. ‘He was the face of the company in the U.S. and led everything from partnerships and integrations to hiring and launching our community. Without him, we wouldn’t have accelerated at the pace we did.’
Channel chief Juan Fernandez is stepping down from his leadership role at SuperOps to launch a new initiative aimed at reshaping the future of the managed services industry. His departure has been met with admiration and support from company leadership, including CEO Arvind Parthiban, who credited Fernandez as “the backbone of [SuperOps’] U.S. market.”
“Juan brought a lot of stability to SuperOps,” Parthiban told CRN in an exclusive interview. “He was the face of the company in the U.S. and led everything from partnerships and integrations to hiring and launching our community. Without him, we wouldn’t have accelerated at the pace we did.”
Fernandez joined the India-based vendor, which is moving its headquarters to the U.S., in October 2023 to advance its channel strategy, enhance partner relationships and expand the company’s global presence. Under his leadership, the company–named on CRN’s 2025 AI 100 List– secured more than 20 integrations, landed a spot on Pax8’s cloud marketplace, launched the SuperSummit event and positioned itself firmly within the U.S. MSP ecosystem.
[Related: SuperOps CEO: New $25M Funding Round Aimed At AI, Global Market Growth]
“He didn’t just open doors, he built the hallway,” Parthiban added. “It’s a big loss, no doubt.”
For Fernandez, the decision to leave is not a retreat but an advance into new territory.
“This is one of those inflection points,” Fernandez told CRN. “You can ride the wave, try to get ahead of it or you can be the wave. And I’ve decided to create the next one.”
That wave, which he calls MSP 5.0, is a vision for the future of managed services that reimagines the traditional provider model.
“What do you do when what you do isn’t what you do anymore? In five years, MSPs won’t be delivering services the way they do today,” he said. “And that scares me, because too many are focused on the now instead of what’s next.”
For his next venture, he is building “a legacy company built around cultural leadership, innovation and transformation.” While he wouldn’t disclose specific details, he hinted at “some fantastic folks coming together for a very noble cause” that will “raise eyebrows across the channel.”
“This time, I’m not bringing a brand to market,” he said. “I’m building a legacy. We’re going to change everything about how success is delivered in this industry.”
As for SuperOps, the company is not slowing down. Fresh off a $25 million funding round, the company is shifting its global headquarters to the San Francisco Bay Area and hiring aggressively, with plans to add 10 to 20 new roles in the next six months. New roles include C-level executives, an AI lead, a partnerships head and key sales and community positions.
“This is no longer a startup,” Parthiban said. “We’re building a category-defining AI-first platform and Juan helped us set the foundation for that.”
