UC Vendor Poly Names Ex-TiVo Head Dave Schull as New CEO

Poly, which rebranded last year from Plantronics and Polycom, presented strong Q1 FY 2021 numbers with a robust demand for headsets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now as the search for their next leader is over, the current interim CEO will step down in September to make way for Dave Schull as the new President and CEO.

Unified communications (UC) and videoconferencing company Poly has appointed Dave Schull as their new President and Chief Executive Officer. The appointment is the company’s third and permanent since Plantronics and Polycom rebranded as Poly last year in March. Plantronics acquired PolycomOpens a new window in March 2019 for $2 billion.

“Our new brand represents the many elements of our history that we bring together to enable people to work the way we all work now, which is anywhere and across multiple collaboration tools,” said Amy Barzdukas, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Poly.

She adds, “No other company has as many communications devices and services that we offer across any platform of choice, and the true power will be in how we bring them together so people can do more.” 

So how many devices does Poly have? For context, Poly saidOpens a new window they have the largest number of Microsoft Teams certified headsets available. The company also said they ‘sold nearly 17 million Microsoft compatible devices over the last three years’.

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Joe Burton was tasked to lead the company after the rebranding move. He said, “With advancements in AI, machine learning and new technologies, we see a future where Poly makes the connection, then quietly steps out of the way to become the one thing you don’t notice in the meeting.” 

In February 2020, nearly a year after Burton took charge, Poly said he resigned and that the Chairman of the Poly Board of Directors Robert Hagerty has been appointed as the Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Poly reportedOpens a new window strong revenue numbers for the period ending June 27, 2020 with $356 million as its GAAP Net Revenue. This was primarily driven by a strong demand for Poly’s headsets due to the pivot to remote work. Hagerty said, “We are working aggressively to fulfill elevated headset demand driven by the hybrid working trend as we navigate product shifts and supply chain challenges.”

Now that the search for Poly’s next leader is over with the appointment of Schull, Hagerty will continue as the Chairman of the Board, and resume his membership on the Nominating and Governance and Strategy Committees. He will also resume his role as Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Committee.

SchullOpens a new window will take over as President and CEO of Poly from Hagerty on September 8, 2020 and will also take his seat at the board table of the company.

Hagerty said, “Dave is a technology veteran whose global operations and telecommunications expertise, together with his extensive leadership experience and fresh insights, make him an outstanding leader for Poly.” 

A 1994 Harvard and 2004 Oxford passout, Schull is a well-known telecom veteran who most recently served as President & CEO at TiVo. Prior to that, he headed The Weather Channel and held leadership roles at Dish Network. 

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