Sun Global Sales Head Resigns, Bound for HP

Sun Microsystems' global head of sales and services, Don Grantham, has resigned from the company and reportedly is headed to Sun's rival Hewlett-Packard.

Grantham is replaced by Peter Ryan, previously senior vice president of Sun's Americas sales region, who will report to Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz.

In a blog post, Schwartz indicated that Grantham has taken a job with HP, writing in part, "Don's leaving Sun to help HP secure a Solaris license before their EDS transaction closes."

HP and Sun could not immediately be reached for comment.

Grantham's departure is part of a broader shakeup at Sun. The company said Monday it is forming a new Emerging Markets sales territory, with the goal of increasing business in southern and eastern Europe, India, China and Latin America. It will be led by Denis Heraud, now head of the company's Asia-Pacific division.

Sun posted an overall loss in its recent third quarter results, but showed strong year-over-year growth in those regions.

"Bluntly put, we're elevating our focus on developing economies because that's where free software, and Sun's businesses, are growing fastest," Schwartz wrote on his blog.