Unified communications provider Polycom is gearing up to expand its Australia and New Zealand presence with new staff hirings in anticipation of growth in the small to medium business (SMB) arena. “Locally, we are seeing strong federal and state government initiatives being rolled out in multiple sectors, including health, education and emergency services," says Michael Chetner, managing director, in a statement. "Along with these new hires we will continue to invest locally to continue our growth and ensure we support our customer and partner base.’’ The statement cites a 2010 IDC report that anticipates the SMB market to grow to nearly A$629.3 billion by 2014, with significant growth expected from the unified communications market. The company has appointed James Ware, who comes to Polycom from HP in Europe, to expand relationships with strategic partners, and Sarah Thiess as ANZ channel marketing manager, in support of the company's new Polycom Choice Parnter Programme. The company also appointed Sally Creber as channel account manager, William Lee as sales engineer for New Zealand, to be based in Auckland, Andrew Sainsbury to the company's federal sales team in Canberra and Lucy Lai as senior marketing manager for ANZ. According to the statement, Polycom ANZ was a key growth market in Asia Pacific for the company in 2010, following significant investment in its operations over the last three years, which has included new offices and new hires in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and Auckland.
