We are pleased to share that the Institute for Excellence in Sales (IES) announced that Paul Smith, senior vice president and general manager for Red Hat’s Public Sector business was named the recipient of the IES 7th annual Lifetime Achievement award. Smith was selected from a pool of 50 nominees who were evaluated based on criteria including excellence in sales, company size and brand reputation, the ability to train sales leaders, and high achievement over an extended period of time.

On June 6, a reception was near Washington, DC with more than 300 sales leaders in attendance as Art Richer of immixGroup, a Red Hat partner and last year’s award recipient, presented Smith with the honor. In outlining the reasons for Smith’s selection, Richer noted Smith’s passion for both work and family and ability to empower and lead others. He also cited Smith’s extensive knowledge of technology, remarkable preparedness, exemplary humility, and aptitude for listening and connecting with people and customers.  

Smith was raised in Baltimore as one of seven children and took his first sales job at age 11 as a paperboy. He worked as a shoe salesman to pay his way through school before joining the ranks at companies such as Exxon, Oracle, and Veritas.

Smith joined Red Hat in 2004 and has spent the past 12.5 years -- or 51 quarters -- leading the company’s U.S. federal government, worldwide and the U.S. state, local, and education-focused business divisions. During his acceptance speech, he noted that some of the best moments of his career have been as a member of the Red Hat team. He also mentioned that he has been surrounded by great leaders at the company, specifically calling out Red Hat president and CEO Jim Whitehurst.

Congratulations to Paul on this honor!