Thrive Strengthens Executive Leadership with Appointments of Amit Venugopal as CIO and Kurt Brown as EVP of Product

Seasoned technology executives to strengthen enterprise operations, advance product innovation and support Thrive's next phase of growth

BOSTON, Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for AI, cybersecurity, cloud and IT managed services, today announced the appointments of Amit Venugopal as Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Kurt Brown as Executive Vice President of Product. Bringing more than 50 years of combined experience in technology leadership, enterprise transformation and product strategy, the executives will strengthen Thrive's enterprise technology operations and global product strategy as the company continues to scale and advance its NextGen 3.0 Platform.

Venugopal will oversee Thrive's enterprise technology strategy, bringing together IT, data, AI, security, compliance and digital platforms to drive greater operational efficiency, integration and scalability. Brown will lead global product and platform strategy across cybersecurity, cloud, infrastructure, digital experience and AI-powered services, with a focus on simplifying Thrive's portfolio, accelerating innovation and developing differentiated solutions that address evolving customer needs.

"As Thrive continues to grow, we're investing in experienced leaders who can strengthen our operations, drive innovation and accelerate the value we bring to customers," said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. "Amit brings deep expertise in enterprise technology transformation and scaling global operations, while Kurt has spent his career developing and bringing technology solutions to market. Their leadership will be critical as we advance our NextGen 3.0 strategy and prepare for our next phase of growth."

Venugopal previously served as Vice President of Infrastructure Management and IT Service Delivery, and as Head of the ServiceNow Platform, at Corebridge Financial. His background also includes CIO roles at ArisGlobal and Sovos, as well as technology leadership experience at HealthEdge and IBM. Throughout his career, he has led enterprise modernization, cloud and SaaS operations, cybersecurity initiatives and M&A integration. At Thrive, he will oversee teams led by Chip Gibbons, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, and Foster Hardie, Executive Vice President of Digital Platform Architecture, strengthening alignment across these critical functions.

"Thrive has a strong foundation of technology expertise, and I'm excited to help build on it as the company grows," said Venugopal. "My focus will be on aligning our technology, data and digital platforms, using automation and AI to improve efficiency, strengthen resilience and support the business at scale."

Brown brings more than three decades of experience across product strategy, managed services and technology leadership to Thrive. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Offering and Product Operations at NWN, where he led strategy across seven offerings, overseeing portfolio roadmaps, product lifecycle management, service development and go-to-market execution. He previously held senior leadership positions at Kyocera Document Solutions Americas and Dimension Data/NTT, where he developed and scaled technology and services solutions.

"I've spent much of my career looking at technology from both sides, how it's built and delivered, and how customers actually use it to solve problems," said Brown. "That perspective is especially important as organizations navigate increasingly complex IT environments. At Thrive, I'm excited to help bring our capabilities together in ways that make technology easier to adopt and more valuable to the businesses relying on it."

The appointments build on Thrive's continued investment in its NextGen 3.0 Platform, which integrates AI, cybersecurity, IT operations and digital employee experience to support more intelligent, connected service delivery.

For more information about Thrive, visit https://thrivenextgen.com/.

About Thrive

Thrive is a NextGen 3.0 global technology outsourcing provider that empowers small and mid-market organizations to transform their technology into a strategic advantage. Offering a breadth of services from AI and cybersecurity to cloud, compliance, and traditional MSP/MSSP solutions, Thrive’s team of seasoned experts develop strategies that standardize, scale, and automate technology to achieve outsized ROI. From advisory services to a 24×7×365 SOC and NOC, Thrive provides end-to-end IT and cybersecurity management, enabling clients to focus on innovation and growth. With Thrive, your business is always supported and always secure. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact:

V2 Communications for Thrive

thrive@v2comms.com

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Amit Venugopal, CIO at Thrive

Amit Venugopal joins Thrive as CIO.

Kurt Brown, EVP, Product at Thrive

Kurt Brown joins Thrive as EVP of Product.