Avaya Appoints Jeff Clarke as Chief Executive Officer; Patrick Dennis to Serve as Executive Chair

Avaya Appoints Jeff Clarke as Chief Executive Officer; Patrick Dennis to Serve as Executive Chair

MORRISTOWN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 3, 2026-

Avaya hires new CEO

Jeff Clarke will become Avaya’s third CEO in four years, as Patrick Dennis transitions to executive chair.

Avaya Names New CEO – Can He Keep Up with Agentic AI?

Avaya has named Jeff Clarke as its new CEO, with Patrick Dennis moving into the Executive Chair role after less than two years at the helm. Despite the size and prestige of the vendor, Clarke will have a difficult balancing act to manage straight out of the gate. The vendor has spent the past couple of years persuading large enterprises they do not need to rip out existing infrastructure to modernize customer service. Now, it must prove that thi…