SUSE appoints Margaret Dawson as Chief Marketing Officer

SUSE®, renowned for its innovative and secure enterprise-grade solutions, has announced the appointment of Margaret Dawson as the new Chief Marketing Officer. Dawson is expected to spearhead SUSE’s global marketing strategy, enhancing the company's global presence and maintaining its upward trajectory in growth and innovation within the open-source sector.

"As the demand for choice among enterprise customers grows, SUSE has never been better poised to lead," said DP van Leeuwen, CEO of SUSE. With Dawson's proven track record in scaling technology brands and converting marketing initiatives into effective growth engines, there is confidence in her ability to bolster SUSE’s global leadership and seize current opportunities.

As the new CMO, Dawson will focus on defining and amplifying SUSE’s narrative within the enterprise open source software market. Her aim is to ensure consistency in messaging across all brand, product, customer, and community touchpoints. Her enthusiasm to return to the open-source arena is palpable, as she plans to forge deeper connections with customers and partners, while amplifying SUSE’s voice in the market.

In bringing over 25 years of experience in technology marketing and product strategy, Dawson has been at the helm of successful programs at notable companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, HP, and Red Hat. Prior to joining SUSE, she was the CMO at Chronosphere, a cloud-native observability platform, where her leadership significantly boosted brand awareness and revenue.

Beyond her corporate accomplishments, Dawson is a recognized author and speaker on open source, emerging technologies, and leadership. Among her accolades, she is considered a top influence in cloud computing and has received numerous awards for her role in promoting gender equality and diversity in technology.

This announcement coincides with SUSE strengthening its leadership team with strategic appointments across various regions. Dongun Lee steps as the regional leader for South Korea, Gen Watanabe for Japan, Kingsley Wood heads North America’s solution architecture, and Joao Pereira leads the Brazilian public sector. Additionally, Holger Pfister's promotion to VP for the DACH region underscores SUSE’s focus on delivering tailored sovereign solutions in Europe.

With these strategic shifts, SUSE aspires to better serve its local markets, refining the customer experience and meeting specific regional demands.