Erik Durand

Product & GTM Executive | Global Customer Success Leader for Applied AI | Architect of $100M+ Growth in Edge, Hybrid Cloud, and Infrastructure | Expert in Market Expansion and Regulated Environments

Charleston, South Carolina Metropolitan Area3.2k followers

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

ex-Oracle

ex-Riverbed Technology

Some products grab attention. A few define markets.
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I build the ones that last. For over 15 years, I’ve led end-to-end product innovation across edge, hybrid cloud, and infrastructure. These aren’t ordinary launches. These are platforms designed for demanding environments, where policy, performance, and precision are paramount. I’ve taken ideas from concept to full-scale execution. Built and rebuilt roadmaps. Grown revenue across defense, telecom, logistics, and global enterprise. I’ve operated where regulations are strict, latency matters, and downtime isn’t an option. What drives me is turning complexity into clarity. I help teams navigate ambiguity, make smart trade-offs, and deliver results. I’ve led high-performing organizations from scratch, shaped multi-million-dollar GTM engines, and opened new markets that others overlooked. Over the years, I have forged a reputation for connecting engineers, customers, and business leaders to keep everyone aligned and moving in the right direction. I know when to ship faster and when to slow down. When to double down on features and when to simplify. I’ve coached product managers through chaos, built effective partner ecosystems, and developed pricing models to accelerate deals rather than prolong them. I’ve worked on platforms that serve the mission-critical, empower teams in the field, and move data when no one else can. Here are a few wins I’m proud of: 🌟 Grew AWS Snow Family ARR from $22M to $30M by aligning product, GTM, and execution across defense, logistics, and secure data use cases. 🌟 Opened new markets across Africa, LATAM, and Southeast Asia, building trust in sovereign and bandwidth-limited regions and generating $85M in pipeline. 🌟 Built and rolled out a global GTM strategy uniting sales, partners, and technical teams, slashing time-to-revenue by 35% and driving $200M+ in annual pipeline. I’m at my best when the mission is big, the road is unclear, and the outcome matters. If you’re building for the edge, scale, or security, let’s connect.

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AMAZON WEB SERVICES (AWS)JOB
1. WW Customer Success Leader
  8M
2. Sr. Mgr, WW Specialists &…
  7M
3. Head of Product Management…
  3Y
4. Global GTM Leader
  2Y 2M
5. Senior Mgr and Principal P…
  2Y 2M
6. Principal, Global BD
  1Y 5M
ORACLEJOB
1. Senior Dir, IaaS Strategy…
  1Y 2M
RIVERBED TECHNOLOGYJOB
1. Senior Account Executive,…
  1Y 9M
TINTRIJOB
1. Regional Sales Mgr
  7M
TRACE3JOB
1. Technical Account Mgr - St…
  11M
2. Practice Dir & Dir of Eng
  2Y 1M
3. Professional Services Sale…
  11M
4. Senior Solutions Architect
  2Y 4M

Job: Amazon Web Services (AWS) — WW Customer Success Leader – Amazon Connect · 2026-02 – present · 6 mo — ★ Own the worldwide Customer Success strategy for Amazon Connect, ensuring enterprise and public sector customers realize full value from AI-powered contact center and customer experience transformations — from initial deployment through expansion and long-term retention ★ Design a global coverage model that pairs senior specialists to accounts by region and complexity, enabling deeper relationships and faster outcomes for the largest enterprise deployments ★ Scale the worldwide Customer Success organization from a single-threaded team to a multi-theater global structure, expanding coverage capacity while maintaining continuity for in-flight enterprise deployments ★ Champion customer ado…
Job: Amazon Web Services (AWS) — Sr. Manager, WW Specialists & GTM – Applied AI Solutions · 2025-07 – 2026-02 · 7 mo — ★ Own global specialist motions, sales strategy, and execution for Applied AI offerings, including AWS Wickr, spanning public sector and commercial customers ★ Build and scale a worldwide specialist organization aligned to field sales, partners, and solution architects across multiple regions ★ Partner with product and engineering teams to shape roadmap priorities, launch strategy, and customer-driven feature adoption ★ Develop GTM frameworks that enable adoption of AI-powered solutions in highly regulated industries, including government, defense, and compliance-sensitive enterprises ★ Drive alignment across sales, partners, and leadership to transition emerging AI services from early…
Job: Amazon Web Services (AWS) — Head of Product Management & Solutions – EC2 Edge Services · 2022-07 – 2025-07 · 3y — ★ Led creation and launch of AWS Snowblade for the U.S. DoD, transforming how edge workloads run in low-connectivity, mission-critical environments by designing a ruggedized compute platform from the ground up. ★ Forged high-impact partnerships with NetApp and Pure Storage, removing friction from hybrid storage integration and unlocking compliance-ready solutions for regulated industries. ★ Revamped the entire Snowball portfolio by consolidating SKUs, increasing device utilization nearly 3x, and freeing up engineering capacity to focus on net-new product growth. ★ Scaled product adoption globally by aligning OEM/ODM strategies with regional demand, accelerating growth across telecom, def…
Job: Amazon Web Services (AWS) — Global Go-to-Market Leader – Hybrid Edge and Storage Services (WWPS) · 2020-04 – 2022-06 · 2y 2mo — ★ Built and deployed a global sales specialist org across eight regions, driving faster deal velocity and enabling field teams to land large-scale public sector wins. ★ Collaborated with GovTech Singapore to pilot Dedicated Local Zones, creating a blueprint for sovereign cloud now expanding across latency-sensitive nations. ★ Removed adoption bottlenecks by designing a pricing model matching procurement cycles, unlocking $75M+ in pipeline across education and defense verticals. ★ Unified cross-regional execution to align field, partner, and product motions around sovereign, tactical, and air-gapped workloads.
Job: Amazon Web Services (AWS) — Senior Manager and Principal Product Manager – AWS Storage Services · 2018-02 – 2020-04 · 2y 2mo — ★ Launched Glacier Deep Archive with a $1/TB/month pricing model, breaking legacy tape barriers and enabling 1,000+ enterprises to modernize at scale. ★ Cut deal timelines from 4 weeks to 5 days by designing AWS’s first rate card program, empowering field teams to close regulated industry deals faster. ★ Opened $50M in new pipeline by aligning product development with Open Subsurface Data Universe standards for global oil and gas operations. ★ Tripled qualified leads by tailoring GTM strategies for government, healthcare, and education through hyper-targeted campaigns.
Job: Oracle — Senior Director, IaaS Strategy and Business Development · 2016-12 – 2018-02 · 1y 2mo — ★ Created Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s GTM blueprint from scratch, aligning positioning, pricing, and partnerships to fuel 60% YoY growth. ★ Secured enterprise trust by building strategic alliances with Deloitte and Accenture, positioning Oracle as a competitive player in cloud-first transformations. ★ Lowered sales friction by rolling out customized playbooks and battlecards tailored to ERP and database migration challenges across industries. ★ Enabled $150M+ pipeline by equipping global teams with a cloud economics toolkit, shifting conversations from features to business impact.
Job: Amazon Web Services (AWS) — Principal, Global Business Development – AWS Storage Services · 2015-07 – 2016-12 · 1y 5mo — ★ Drove AWS Snow Family’s global adoption by shaping launch strategy, entering regulated markets, and influencing C-suite decision-makers at scale. ★ Captured $80M+ in new bookings by deploying targeted migration and pricing plays to simplify the shift from on-prem to cloud storage. ★ Shortened enterprise deal cycles by 40% through a tailored CxO engagement model featuring ROI storytelling, migration roadmaps, and executive briefings. ★ Positioned AWS Storage as a modernization partner for high-volume users in government and research sectors with complex data mobility needs.
Job: Riverbed Technology — Senior Account Executive, Application Performance and Edge Solutions · 2013-10 – 2015-07 · 1y 9mo — ★ Rebuilt trust in a stagnant enterprise account by diagnosing root-cause performance issues and mapping solutions to the client’s cloud migration goals, unlocking $2.5M+ in revenue. ★ Delivered $4M+ in new business by scaling presence across global hubs and aligning fragmented teams around a single visibility strategy. ★ Elevated Riverbed’s role with strategic accounts like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing by leading consultative, data-driven transformation conversations. ★ Navigated complex enterprise buying cycles with a focus on long-term outcomes, consistently exceeding quota and expanding total contract value.
Job: Tintri — Regional Sales Manager · 2013-03 – 2013-10 · 7 mo — ★ Led regional sales across enterprise, commercial, and SLED sectors with a focus on VM-aware storage. Managed full-cycle strategy including alliances, channel activation, and technical team coordination. ★ Opened net-new territory and exceeded quota by designing channel-aligned sales motions that accelerated decision timelines.
Job: Trace3 — Technical Account Manager - Strategic Accounts · 2012-03 – 2013-02 · 11 mo — ★ Owned growth and acquisition for Tier 1 and Tier 2 service providers across cable, wireless, datacenter, and telco segments. ★ Managed deep executive relationships at Comcast, CenturyLink, Cricket, and Time Warner Telecom to drive high-volume, cross-domain solution sales. ★ Closed $15M in total revenue and $2.5M in GP by leading infrastructure, networking, and security deals—including $8.5M in converged infrastructure and $2M in Palo Alto/Juniper security solutions.
Job: Trace3 — Practice Director & Director of Engineering · 2010-02 – 2012-03 · 2y 1mo — ★ Led pre- and post-sales engineering strategy across all regions while reporting directly to the CEO and shaping national go-to-market services strategy. ★ Managed a 10-direct, 75-indirect-person team and supported complex strategic deals across data center, cloud, and security. ★ Drove $17M in professional services revenue with 210% YoY growth, while launching co-branded solutions with VMware, NetApp, F5, and Palo Alto that cemented Trace3’s technical credibility.
Job: Trace3 — Professional Services Sales Manager · 2009-03 – 2010-02 · 11 mo — ★ Built Trace3’s first professional services division from the ground up, leading both the go-to-market strategy and delivery execution across the Rockies and Desert region. ★ Recruited and scaled a 20+ person team of consultants, PMs, and technical leads serving mid-market to enterprise clients. ★ Achieved 400% growth and $4M in revenue in one year, earning the firm’s “Superman” award for spearheading explosive services expansion across verticals.
Job: Trace3 — Senior Solutions Architect · 2006-11 – 2009-03 · 2y 4mo — ★ Founding member of Trace3’s Networking Practice, providing pre-sales design and architecture for application delivery and optimization across the Rockies region. ★ Specialized in Riverbed and F5 deployments that accelerated enterprise performance and won competitive takeouts. ★ Generated $9M in annual networking revenue by year two (up 225% from 2007) and received MVP honors for consistent sales-driving technical execution.
School: University of California, Irvine - The Paul Merage School of Business — Masters, Business Administration
School: University of California, Los Angeles — BA, Philosophy

Skills

MakeProduct ManagementGo-to-Market StrategyCloud ComputingHybrid CloudEdge ComputingAmazon EC2AWS Snow FamilyAWS OutpostsAWS Local ZonesAWS WavelengthAmazon GlacierAmazon S3Storage SolutionsP&L ManagementProduct StrategyProduct DevelopmentStrategic PartnershipsInfrastructure as a Service (IaaS)Amazon Web Services (AWS)Software as a Service (SaaS)

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Erik Durand

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