HPE Channel Vet Focused on AMD Partner Program Improvements as NA Channel Chief

HPE channel vet Terry Richardson is planning AMD partner program enhancements as the company’s new North America channel chief.

Richardson was with HPE for six-and-a-half years, retiring in January. He most recently was vice president and general manager of enterprise sales for the East.

He managed a team responsible for sales to 3,500 new and existing enterprise customers. Moreover, he managed a portfolio of products and services, and developed and executed growth plans.

Richardson also coordinated with cross-functional teams and channel partners to develop new customer acquisition campaigns that resulted in more than 300 new accounts.

As North America channel chief, Richardson is responsible for all partner types in the region and across the AMD portfolio. That includes distributors, VARs, network service providers and MSPs.

Channel Strategy Enhancements Needed

Richardson tells us AMD provides an “exciting new challenge” after retiring from HPE.

AMD’s Terry Richardson

“AMD has demonstrated a strong commitment to the channel at the CEO and all other executive levels,” he said. “I wanted the opportunity to drive growth with partners again, and to make an impact for the company.”

AMD has “compelling” offerings that are well-suited to customers’ most demanding business challenges and workload requirements, Richardson said. The new role provides a “unique” opportunity to work with known global OEMs and technology providers.

“AMD has a lot right with its current channel strategy and the basics are all there,” he said. “Enhancements are needed with respect to program completeness and depth, partner coverage and process improvements to accommodate accelerated scale. My priorities are related to expanding the partner-facing team, enhancing the AMD channel program, driving external awareness and preference across partner types, activating new partners, and listening carefully to understand the needs and requirements of both channel partners and our OEM partners.”

Partners should expect more communication and outreach from Richardson and his team in the months ahead.

“In addition, we will closely collaborate with the leading global OEMs (Dell, HPE, HPI, Cisco, Lenovo, Super Micro, etc.) to ensure we are bringing compelling solutions, programs and incentives to our mutual partners, he said.

Before HPE, Richardson was with HP for nearly five years. Before leaving, he was HP’s vice president of channel sales.

New Products

During January’s CES, AMD unveiled the full portfolio of Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processors. The processors provide improved performance and battery life for gamers, creators and professionals.

According to The Motley Fool, AMD has been steadily gaining market share from market leader Intel across the board since the company launched the first chips based on its Zen architecture in 2017. A combination of solid products from AMD and missteps from Intel fueled AMD’s comeback.

However, that streak of market share gains came to an end in the fourth quarter of 2020. That’s according to data from Mercury Research. While demand for AMD’s processors remains strong, shortages have allowed Intel to recapture some lost market share, it said.