Berntsen, based in the Bay Area, has a deep background in technology, having worked in various client-facing capacities for large companies as well as startups and smaller firms. Most recently, she was a regional sales manager in the West for Dell Technologies.
Joining Infinidat – a multinational provider of enterprise data and cloud solutions – was a reunion of sorts for Berntsen and the company’s chief marketing officer, Eric Herzog.
“I have known Kirsten since her first job out of college,” Herzog told Techwire. “We go way back. We worked together at EMC, we worked together at a company called Storage Dimensions. …”
Berntsen said that relationship and background swayed her to join Infinidat two months ago.
“Eric and many of the people at Infinidat, I know from past lives,” she said, citing her previous affiliations with EMC, Dell and VMware, among other companies. She said knowing many key company leaders “was critical for me in making a decision in where I go and what I do.” She was happy at Dell, she said, but when Infinidat reached out to her, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
“I’ve done the big companies, and I’ve done startups as well,” she told Techwire, but she was also persuaded to join Infinidat because “the technology is phenomenal – it’s innovative, it’s award-winning, they have a huge commitment to the channel. I’ve always been a huge advocate for my partner community, so I want to look at companies that embrace and put together great programs for their channel, and that’s what (Infinidat) has done here.
“With my son going off to college, it seemed like a perfect time to jump back in to the startup mentality and get back to the nimble innovation and the excitement that comes with a new company,” Berntsen said. “That’s what infinidat has provided me.”
Herzog said Infinidat sought Berntsen because he knows her and her work, and also because her “hybrid” experience matches the company’s objectives.
“The attraction for us was twofold,” Herzog said. “First, we’re a storage company, and she knew the storage side, she knew the channel, and she was hybrid,” having worked for big companies as well as startups. “I’ve got big company, small company experience; Kirsten has been big company, small company experience. We’re on a growth trajectory … so what we’ve been looking for, from an employee perspective, is hybrids” who know channel sales and who can thrive in a small company/startup environment.
Berntsen said she was pleased that Infinidat came courting at a time when there’s a lot of movement within the industry. Finding the right company, she noted, “can be like threading a needle.”
“My mission statement,” Berntsen said, “has always been to work and support the partner community to drive more successful outcomes for customers through strong partner programs, enablement and engagement. That’s who I am and where my commitment lies.”
Berntsen is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento, with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.
