Meet Channel Futures' 50 Channel Influencers for 2024
We selected AT&T's Christopher R. Jones and Broadcom's Hock Tan as our Channel Influencers of the Year.
February 20, 2024
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Christopher R. Jones
Assistant Vice President, Sales Channel
AT&T
Christopher R. Jones is the face of AT&T’s successful efforts to build its influence and forge key relationships in the technology advisor channel.
Jones leads AT&T’s Alliance Channel and ACC Business programs, which have both made forays into the agent space over the last decade. And such a foray has not come easily. It involves a massive shift to a residual compensation model and an embrace of non-exclusive partners. It also involves a patient investment in the tech services distributor (TSD) ecosystem and an insider knowledge of the ecosystem’s processes.
His most significant accomplishment might be in improving relationships with those TSDs, which play a critical role as the middlemen between large vendors and tech-advisor businesses that sell AT&T products and services. For instance, AT&T in 2023 won Telarus’ award for top sales performance in the mobility category. At the same time, Intelisys named the vendor its top overall carrier supplier based on sales.
Conversely, the TSDs have skyrocketed up the ranks in AT&T’s Alliance Channel program with Jones at the helm. He tells Channel Futures that when he first started working with TSDs six years ago, none was in the Alliance Channel’s list of top 50 partner producers.
"I think sometimes suppliers take for granted the partner relationship with the customer,” Jones told Channel Futures. “What we've tried to do with our team is respect the fact that the customer and the partner have a relationship, and we're trying to enter that relationship through that partner. But the partner was there before us. And theoretically, the partner may be there after us. We have to respectfully, humbly enter that relationship and earn our right to be there.”
Furthermore, Jones recently led AT&T to become one of the first telco providers to join the vendor-agnostic Cablefinder platform, a milestone for the carrier in operating in a more agent-friendly manner.
All the while, he has advocated fiercely for the advisor channel to the larger AT&T Partner Solutions organization and AT&T Business. This combination of “inside-out” and “outside-in” efforts is building trust with all parties.
Jones' success comes as AT&T's channel leaders look for more opportunities to account for a larger piece of the AT&T Business pie. Midsize customers are a big focus area for the company, and it sees the channel as playing a big part in that.
Hock Tan
CEO & President
Broadcom
Channel Futures named Broadcom CEO Hock Tan its Influencer of the Year in the wake of the $61 billion VMware acquisition. As many partners feared might happen, Tan has disrupted the channel by paring down VMware much as he did with CA Technologies and Symantec. Under Tan's direction, Broadcom has axed some VMware products, bundled others in mandatory packages regardless of customer desire for use, put the end-user computing unit and Carbon Black up for sale, taken the top 2,000 enterprise accounts away from partners and trimmed the VMware partner program rolls before inviting the remainder into the Broadcom Advantage Partner Program. What comes next remains anyone's guess.
While Tan’s relationship with the channel leaves something to be desired, Broadcom shareholders likely aren’t batting an eye. They’ve watched the company’s stock price triple since fall 2020, just a few months after announcing the acquisition of VMware. There are many more millionaires out there thanks to his shrewd moves. Tan has become one of the most influential CEOs doing business in all of the channel – and all of tech for that matter – as Broadcom’s play for VMware remains one of the biggest in the industry’s history and will have a lasting impact.
Tan and his team, most likely due to the upheaval in the channel caused by the acquisition and subsequent elimination of the VMware partner program, did not respond to our request for input on his Channel Influencers recognition. But the unpopular decisions Tan made only augment – not diminish – his overwhelming influence.
Expect that influence to be felt in the channel and throughout the industry for years to come due to the massive stake Tan and Broadcom have made in technology. The acquisitions of VMware, CA Technologies and Symantec alone come at a combined value of nearly $92 billion, giving Broadcom a market capitalization of $583 billion, good enough for No. 12 in the world by most rankings.
Tan’s selection as Channel Influencer by Channel Futures is atypical, since channel influence usually resides with the top sales leader, channel leader or executive who is most responsible for indirect sales strategy. This year was different, because through our research we found that Tan, despite his lofty position in the C-suite at Broadcom, is making key decisions related to the company’s channel direction. He is actively involved in the channel strategy and clearly has an opinion as to what Broadcom’s channel strategy should and should not be.
Jake Butterbaugh
Senior Vice President, Global Partner Organization
Five9
“It seems a little bit like a lifetime ago that I first got involved in the channel,” says Jake Butterbaugh, who has been in his current role with Five9, the contact-center-as-a-service provider, for more than two years. “But it makes me very happy to share that I’ve spent almost 25 years in the partner-to-partner model, mostly in the collaboration and customer experience market. My first experience was more as a consultant or a trusted advisor, working with clients to build business cases and ROI studies to select their technology choices. Now, all these years later, to continue to work on the other side but still in partnership is an incredibly rewarding experience.”
Over the course of his career, Butterbaugh says that he’s learned "the importance of the long game."
"I am a golfer, but anyone who has played with me knows I’m clearly not talking about my game. Rather, I am referring to the recognition that relationships and partnerships require a long-term view. When we partner with a channel member, we’re looking not at a simple transaction, but rather a long-term customer decision. We’re also looking at a long-term partnership, and when a solution provider does it right, it typically equates to multiple moments of success. Our whole program at Five9, as well as my personal efforts, are about building and delivering high-integrity partnerships for the long term.”
Terry Connell
Senior Vice President of Sales & Sales Operations
Comcast Business
Longtime Comcast veteran Terry Connell is the senior vice president of HQ sales for Comcast Business. How about this number? Under his sales leadership, the business has grown from (just) $265 million since launching in 2006 to nearly $10 billion in revenue.
Connell launched the Comcast Business partner sales channel in 2012, which itself is approaching $1 billion in annual revenue. These days he has day-to-day responsibility for Comcast Business-Masergy, the combined entity resulting from Comcast Business’ acquisition of Masergy, the networking and cloud platform provider, in 2021.
Connell credits his tenure at both Level 3 and Comcast in shaping his influence on the channel and how it’s helped him to become a sales visionary with a passion for creating, developing and leading world-class sales organizations.
Francisco Criado
Vice President, Global Partner Ecosystems
Check Point Software Technologies
Francisco Criado has been making major moves since becoming Check Point Software Technologies’ vice president of global partner ecosystem organization in March 2023. Under his leadership, Check Point has launched a new partner program that aims to strengthen partner capabilities and fuel growth. And last November, Check Point rolled out MSSP partner program updates. Before joining Check Point, Criado helped merge Tech Data and Synnex to create TD Synnex.
“My favorite thing about the channel is seeing how it has evolved over the years and continues to provide immense value and scale to vendors like Check Point,” he said. “Change is a constant, and when you’re in the channel and tech in general, you never stop learning. I enjoy being a continuous student of the industry. The channel continuously reinvents itself and it’s in the process of doing it again. The evolving technology landscape, changes in consumption models and the entrant nontraditional partners all pose challenges to our ecosystem.”
Alex Danyluk
Chief Strategy Officer
Avant Communications
Alex Danyluk first got involved with the channel in the late ‘90s when he was the director of AT&T colocation and hosting business with AT&T Business Internet Services. That’s where he met Rick Deller (co-founder former CEO of Intelisys, now managing partner of Nacimento Holdings) for the first time. He also worked alongside Christopher R. Jones, 2024 Channel Influencer of the Year, now channel executive at AT&T. He eventually moved on to Microsoft, where he was a global director in Microsoft’s Communications Sector, managing the worldwide go-to-market campaign of indirect channel sales for the enablement of Microsoft’s business cloud services with telecommunications and hosting companies (MSPs). He helped launch Office 365 globally through the telco/MSP channel.
From there, he joined Parallels/Odin, a cloud services distribution platform, which sold to Ingram Micro and branded as Cloud Blue. After leaving Parallels/Odin, he met Ian Kieninger and Drew Lydecker, Avant’s co-founders.
“From the first time I met them, I knew they were special people who had built a very special company,” he said. “Having seen hundreds of different businesses in the channel throughout my career, I had never witnessed such a laser focus on sales enablement, which is what brought me to Avant.”
Danyluk says that his favorite thing about the channel is that “with hard work and hustle, anyone can succeed. The opportunity is truly limitless. I love that the biggest trusted advisors of tomorrow can be just starting their businesses today, and I love being part of helping them succeed. A brand-new partner just closed the biggest deal in the channel last year. I love that!”
He warns, however, that limitless opportunity requires agents and trusted advisors to continually evolve and advance.
“Never think that you 100% get it,” he said. “Yesterday's channel is not today's channel, and it won’t be the channel of tomorrow. Fasten your seatbelt because I think this industry is about to light up its rocket boosters.”
In addition, Danyluk encourages trusted advisors to promote themselves and the value they bring to their clients.
“For the channel's agent/trusted advisor segment, there still isn't broad awareness of its existence and business model. People understand VARs, SIs and MSPs. Being a trusted advisor is not as well known in the corporate hallways, but it’s increasing every year and is the future of the channel. I recently saw an RFP from a government agency in the Seattle area that was specifically seeking a trusted advisor to help select services. It’s up to all of us to raise awareness in the industry around the unbelievable value trusted advisors can provide.”
Nicolas Desmarais
CEO
AppDirect
Nicolas Desmarais is chairman and CEO of AppDirect, the B2B subscription commerce provider. In early 2023, AppDirect acquired technology services distributor TBI, which Demarais called a “crowning achievement” for his company. And last month, it landed $100 million in investment from Canadian investment firm CDPQ that it will use in its partner funding program.
“CDPQ and AppDirect have an established track record of working together, and this new investment further solidifies both companies’ commitment to the growth and transformation of AppDirect channel partners and technology advisors," Desmarais said.
Joe DeStefano
CEO
Amplix
Joe DeStefano has led Amplix through rapid organic and M&A-driven growth while building a trusted advisor platform. The founder of ROI Communications, he has a proven track record of building and operating successful technology sales and consulting organizations.
“For me, the most gratifying aspect of my job is addressing business challenges in an impartial way for our clients,” he said. “The channel allows us to tap into a vast ecosystem of providers and align our customers with the best in class and the best fit for their unique needs, and it genuinely makes me feel good about the value we can deliver and the magnitude of success we help them achieve. Being aligned with one technology or vendor limits our capacity to offer comprehensive consultancy, and the channel allows us to break free from those limitations.”
Pamela Diaz
CEO & President
Entara
Pamela Diaz, the MSP 501 Executive of the Year in 2023, took an unconventional route to the channel.
“My journey to the channel began on the customer side,” she said. “I spent the first 25 years of my career working in finance and in my last role I was asked to act as interim CIO. I did not have previous experience working in IT and relied on the experience of both our internal IT staff as well as our managed service provider, Entara, to guide our IT strategy.
“When I was looking to make a change in my career, the founder of Entara offered me exactly the kind of challenge I was looking for: the role of president. Over the past three years and in my new role as CEO, I have had the opportunity to be more hands-on with our partners in the channel.
“As a leader at an MSP, I wanted more insight into the changing needs of our clients. My first thought was to gain these insights through research, but doing it on my own proved labor-intensive and time-consuming. As we continued to build different lines of business that felt channel-friendly, the entrance of Entara into the channel seemed necessary. Now, I do not only see it as necessary, but incredibly important to our future success.”
Diaz enjoys being part of the channel.
“My favorite thing is the community that exists within it,” she said. “At industry events, like the MSP Summit, everyone is excited to connect and share not only what they have learned at the event but give advice and share what has worked for them in their business. Through these conversations I have built great relationships with other leaders that I know I can turn to for advice, connections, or just a good conversation! In particular, I feel a very strong sense of comradery among women in the channel. The number of women in the channel isn’t as high as I am sure many of us would like it to be, but I am proud to be a part of the group of leaders working to change that.
“I also enjoy how ever-changing the channel is. There is already a huge breadth of solutions offered, but there are always new solutions and strategies being discussed or presented. This type of environment means our organization must stay nimble and flexible to change. It’s an interesting challenge ensuring that we have the right tools, people and processes in place to maintain the highest level of service to our clients while also keeping up with the changing best practices and trends in IT and cybersecurity.”
It's cybersecurity that Diaz sees as the biggest challenge currently facing the channel, especially “the need to advance our services and solutions faster than threat actors can learn to exploit them. I am amazed by the innovation I see every day from others in the channel, but I am also keenly aware of the evolving tactics threat actors use to exploit businesses through Entara’s frontline incident response work. I believe for the channel to continue effectively protecting our clients and communities, we will have to work together and be transparent and timely about letting others know about vulnerabilities in our services. This honest collaboration will not only strengthen the channel but help us tip the scales in our favor in the fight against threat actors.
“The reality is no organization has an open checkbook for IT and cybersecurity spend. The channel needs to help organizations find a path to risk reduction and security maturity while working within their budgets. The company with the newest software tools doesn't always win in the fight against threat actors; the company with the most thoughtful, budget-conscious approach to right-sizing security risk does. We need to create the space to have these tough conversations.”
Obviously, Diaz is a firm believer in the community and networking ecosystem within the channel.
“The most important thing that I have learned during my career in the channel is the importance of making and maintaining genuine relationships and never burning a bridge,” she said. “Over the past seven years, I have been lucky to make connections with people across different disciplines and focuses in the channel. These relationships have been pivotal not only for my personal success, but the success of Entara. People in the channel want to help others succeed, but sometimes you have to know the right person who knows the right person to get the help you need. By making authentic connections I not only have a sounding board of professionals who I can talk to to help work through problems, but also a community of people who know me well enough that they can connect me with others who are looking for that same support. You never know where one conversation or one connection can lead.”
Peter DiMarco
Senior Vice President, Commercial Sales
D&H Distributing
Peter DiMarco has played a critical role in helping D&H solidifying a place in the North American market as one of the largest value-added distributors.
In nine years at the Pennsylvania-based company, DiMarco has led VAR sales and now its Partnerfi peer-to-peer community. His sales leadership has helped D&H make aggressive strides in growing its modern applications and cloud services business, with rock-solid growth in SMB.
Resellers that have transacted with DiMarco call him a quick and willing learner and a fierce advocate for the channel.
"It’s been an honor to work with the many MSPs and VARs in the channel over the years with D&H, developing what has evolved into our successful Partnerfi engagement community," said DiMarco. "D&H's programs have accelerated every year when it comes to finding new ways to enable channel partners. Our goal is to escalate their opportunities, enhance offerings and help partners grow their business through superior programs and services that deliver value to end-clients. This year will bring a transformation to the workplace due to catalysts like AI-powered solutions, and the forthcoming Windows 11 end-of-service date, which will open a host of device refresh conversations for MSPs. I’m excited to be part of the distribution community that will help usher-in the next generation of technologies to drive our industry forward, through offerings like our new Go Big AI program, and sales strategies like the AIM services-attach methodology."
Tom Evans
Vice President, Worldwide Channel Sales
Palo Alto Networks
Tom Evans is focused on leading the company’s global partner program and channel strategy. He tells us that partners will see a lot from the company the rest of 2024 to increase ease of doing business, therefore fostering faster growth. Prior to joining Palo Alto Networks, Evans held channel leadership roles with K2 and F5 Networks.
“We're trying to change our internal systems to make it much simpler,” he said recently. “We're trying to change all of our processes so that it doesn't have thousands of steps. We're trying to just be a better communicator as far as how we get information to our partners and we're learning as we go.”
Simon Ewington
Vice President, Worldwide Channel & Partner Ecosystem
HPE
Simon Ewington has been in the channel for 30 years, with more than 27 of those years at HP and HPE.
“My first role working with the channel was inside sales in 1994,” he said. “Every role since has either been working with or directly leading channels. The first 100% channel role was leading EMEA distribution printing supplies in 2006 for what is now HPI, and then expanded to leading distribution for all imaging and printing and then all HPI (PC, print, supplies) in EMEA.
“In 2014, I moved to lead EMEA distribution for what is now HPE, expanded that role to eventually run EMEA channel sales, then into worldwide distribution, and finally my current role leading worldwide channel and partner ecosystem. Channel is both in my DNA and the DNA of HPE.”
Bob Farbak
Senior Vice President, Sales
Intelisys
Bob Farbak represents both the past and the future of ScanSource-owned Intelisys.
Farbak got the nod last year to lead sales for the tech services distributor after a decade of working in the trenches and leading a regional team of channel managers. He’s now leading the only publicly traded TSD in the world, and arguably the largest and most successful TSD in history. With younger competitors popping up and Intelisys seeing executive turnover, Farbak is seeking to set a new tone for the future at Intelisys. ScanSource chairman and CEO Mike Baur said Farbak’s lengthy tenure at Intelisys makes him the perfect person to keep the company focused on its “North Star” – its partners.
“My favorite thing about the channel is your personal brand and relationships are just as important as the company you work for in the industry,” Farbak said. “In a direct sales model, you can move from customer to customer, but when you are in the channel, this is repeat business where your actions speak louder than words.”
At the same time, he’ll be looking to bring fresh thinking and disruptive ideas to the table a fast developing technology advisor market.
Dan Foster
Chief Revenue Officer
Telarus
Tech industry and channel veteran Dan Foster, whose career stops have included MegaPath, Fusion Connect, Ericsson and more, has been Telarus’ chief revenue officer for nearly three years. Peers know him as an inspirational and visionary leader.
Like many of our Influencers, Foster cites building relationships as his favorite part of working in the channel.
“It’s a unique industry in that many of your relationships transcend business and are great friendships – vacationing together, watching kids grow up, being part of their lives,” Foster told Channel Futures. “This makes the hard work and long hours so rewarding beyond just growing a business.”
He likes the opportunity that lies ahead for channel partners of all types, noting that enterprise customers are only using the channel 25% of the time, but are open to much more.
“Over the last decade, the scaling of the tech advisors has accelerated this segment, where they are now competing against the global system integrators, VARs and consulting firms. It’s fun to be part of this movement,” said Foster.
Paul Hager
Vice President, Services
Ingram Micro
Who better to drive Ingram Micro’s influence with MSPs than a former MSP himself?
Paul Hager has helped Ingram Micro drive a variety of initiatives to support partners as they drive more managed services. A new staff augmentation service from Ingram helps resellers acquire and retain talent to help them bridge the gap in the services they provide. Whether it’s a VAR adopting manage services or an MSP adding professional services to go deeper with accounts, Hager is working to help them reach the next level. Novel in this approach is Hager’s thesis that the distributor is more than the vendor relationships and financial resources it provides to partner – but more so an enabler in their business evolution.
Nina Harding
Corporate Vice President, Global Partner Solutions
Microsoft
Microsoft kicked off the world-changing generative AI trend in early 2023 with the debut of ChatGPT. In the intervening months, channel partners sought to understand how they should, and will, profit from AI. The question doesn’t come with an easy answer, which Harding acknowledges. In fact, she said, the channel’s biggest challenge — artificial intelligence — also points to its greatest possibility.
“Artificial intelligence represents the greatest technological opportunity of modern time,” Harding said. “In 2024, the partners who harness this opportunity are the ones who will come out on top. Leveraging the power of AI, there are infinite ways to create, innovate and solve business challenges, from the mundane to the complex. Make no mistake, this is not a fad. It’s a game changer.”
And as an integral player in Microsoft’s channel efforts, expect Harding to stand at the forefront of partner AI initiatives and guidance.
Zina Hassel
CEO
ZLH Enterprises
Zina L. Hassel is the force behind ZLH Enterprises, a woman-owned business focusing on technology consultancy. She began the company in 2000 as a telecommunications business solutions provider and today it helps small, medium and enterprise customers navigate increasingly complicated business technology.
A veteran of more than 30 years in the channel, Hassel — like many others — first got involved unexpectedly.
“After the sale of our CLEC, I was answering questions for previous clients and it seemed to me that there was an unmet need,” she said. “Couple that with having been approached by suppliers to represent their products, and I embarked on what would become a 25-plus-year journey.”
Throughout that journey, Hassel has most enjoyed meeting and working with other members of the community.
“I absolutely love meeting all of the people and collaborating when we can. Faces are changing with new entrants all of the time; however, some of the original members of the channel are still here.”
When it comes to new entrants, Hassel isn’t a fan of the ongoing plethora of M&A going on in the channel.
“The Pac-Man acquisition mode in the channel has been disturbing for many years,” she said. “I don’t necessarily agree with the notion that ‘bigger is better.' I don’t agree that if an agency is running business through a [technology services distributor (TSD)] that they should be in competition with their supplier. I had always seen the TSD as a go-to for additional information and resources. I think that we all need to be concerned, as well, with the suppliers that have their direct sales teams trying to farm indirect channel accounts. We find this to be a tiring exercise of asking those folks to find their own accounts. There is clearly enough business out there for everyone to play nicely in the sandbox.”
Hassel has received a number of awards, including the 2019 LEAD Award for excellence in leadership from the Alliance of Channel Women, the 2019 ABA Bronze Stevie Award for Woman of the Year in Business Services, the 2021 19th Annual American Business Awards for: Gold (Entrepreneur of the Year – Telecommunications), Silver (Woman of the Year – Business Services Industries), Bronze (Best Business Book); and 2021 NJBIA (New Jersey Businesses and Industry Association) for Executive of the Year. Hassel was also a member of the inaugural Channel Futures DE&I 101.
And what does she think is the most important lesson she’s learned during her career in the channel?
“Never take anything on face value and always sit back and listen to your clients,” she said. “At ZLH Enterprises, we don’t approach clients having something to sell. Rather, we prefer to educate clients on available products and solutions and then discuss applicability to the clients’ needs and future growth concerns.”
Jon Heaps
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Ascent Business Partners
Jon Heaps is an AI expert if there ever was one. In addition to his extensive knowledge of the subject matter, Heaps advocates for the channel and helps companies modernize their tech stacks via artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on what that can do for the customer and user experience. Heaps is a fierce believer in embracing the bleeding edge regarding AI in places like the contact center. He has also served in various channel-facing roles for nearly 30 years and doesn't appear to be slowing down, becoming an even bigger driving force for a changing channel.
Bob Minshall, managing director of RMark Consulting, had this to say about Heaps: “Jon is the consummate ‘I can get that done’ executive whether with team members, prospects or customers — and then he delivers. He earns the loyalty of his team by providing the tools they need to succeed, then supporting their efforts daily.”
Ray Hicken
Vice President Channel Sales CX Americas
NICE
Ray Hicken has been in the cloud customer experience (CX) space for 15 years, first as a direct sales leader and then as a channel leader. He has held roles in executive leadership on both the TSD and supplier sides of the CX business.
As vice president of channel sales CX Americas, he works closely with senior leadership as well as leading a team to develop, leverage and execute growth strategies for all North America-based strategic partners. He also sets the strategy to identify and acquire new business partnerships by developing, negotiating and managing these strategic partnerships and contractual relationships that involve significant or potentially significant revenues for NICE.
“I have had the opportunity to watch our company grow tremendously over the last decade,” said Hicken. “I started out on our sales team carrying a bag then moved into channel management. As I watched our company grow over those years, I also watched the needs of our customers grow as well. Conversations around ACD, IVR and CRM are now just table stakes. Today the conversations go much deeper than that as we talk about AI and the digital doorstep for customers."
Michelle Kadlacek
Vice President, Enterprise Channel Partner Sales
Spectrum Enterprise
Michelle Kadlacek leads the enterprise partner channel which includes authorized agents, VARs and systems integrators. She is responsible for driving the growth of fiber-based solutions as well as the strategic development and recruitment of technology service distributors (TSDs) nationwide. Kadlacek has 25 years ofexperience in telecommunications and cable, holding various channel roles throughout her career.
“Working with great people is the best aspect of being in the channel for more than 20 years,” she said. “I appreciate meeting a ton of people and building relationships with our channel partners. I find it fascinating how large the channel has grown since I entered the industry. I enjoy being a part of the success that individuals and companies have had over the years. In my role leading the Spectrum Partner Program, I’m looking forward to seeing how the channel evolves over the next several years and continuing to find ways to elevate the partner experience with our services.”
Kadlacek is a member of the Alliance of Channel Women (ACW) and is active with CTAM. She has served as a director-at-large on the board of Women in Cable Telecommunications Carolinas and on the ACW board. She was appointed co-chair of the Charter Women’s Business Resource group and led the Spectrum Enterprise Women’s Leadership & Development Initiative. Kadlacek mentors emerging female leaders within Charter and the technology industry. She was a Rising Tide honoree with Cablefax and has previously been named a Channel Influencer, was a Channel Partners Top Gun 51 for three successive years and has been inducted into the Channel Futures Circle of Excellence.
Mike Kane
Senior Vice President, Global Partner Sales
Dialpad
Mike Kane has a proven track record of building high-growth sales divisions. He’s launched and built programs with scaled exponential growth, including artificial intelligence (AI), UCaaS, CCaaS, SaaS, identity management and enterprise sales. Prior to joining Dialpad, he held leadership roles with Ping Identity, Softchoice and PC Mall.
"I started working in the channel 26 years ago, in inside sales prospecting (now the role is called an SDR). I learned a ton in that role and it's been a blast ever since," he said.
"I have heard folks in the channel express concern over the advent of AI and the disruptive impact it could have, but I view this as an opportunity. As the channel has always demonstrated its ability to evolve, I'm confident in partners' ability to add even more value with their customers."
Colleen Kapase
Vice President, Global Channels & Programs
Google Cloud
A channel leader doesn’t have to stay at the same company to prove her mettle and dedication to partners. So when Colleen Kapase moved from Snowflake to Google Cloud, she brought with her a reputation for looking out for the channel’s interests. At Snowflake, she was instrumental in shaping what now stands as the Snowflake Partner Network. Now, at Google Cloud, she’s making the most of her channel expertise from Snowflake, VMware and Citrix to contribute to the cloud provider’s go-to-market strategies.
“Rapidly changing customer and industry dynamics are fueling a race to innovate,” Kapase said. “Partners who respond effectively will turn this challenge into an extraordinary opportunity. Success hinges on understanding specific industry needs and delivering exceptional service. Partners who take it further by leading with secure, responsible and innovative generative AI solutions will unlock immense rewards. Google Cloud is committed to empowering our partners with the skills and resources necessary to capitalize on this potential.”
Brandon Knight
Global Head, ZCX Channel & Ecosystem
Zoom
Brandon Knight is truly a channel influencer extraordinaire. He has more than 30 years of combined experience in all aspects of contact centers, from consulting to managing operations. Prior to Zoom, he led contact center practices at both Telarus and Intelisys.
At the same time, he has worked to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the channel. Knight is the co-founder of Xposure Inclusion & Diversity Council, was honored on the inaugural Channel Futures DE&I 101 and serves on the Channel Futures DE&I Advisory Board. In addition, he created and hosts “Wednesday’s Winning Woman,” a podcast dedicated to the empowerment of women in the channel. A sought-after speaker, panelist, webinar host and trainer in all things customer experience, Knight has previously been named a Channel Influencer and been inducted into the Channel Futures Circle of Excellence.
Kendra Krause
Senior Vice President, Global Channels & Small Business Sales
Sophos
Kendra Krause, Sophos' senior vice president of global channels and small business sales, has more than 20 years of channel sales, marketing and operations experience in networking and security. She joined Sophos eight years ago to lead channel development and sales in the Americas. During this time, she structured a new channel sales model, and created and launched new partner, deal registration and incumbent programs. In her global role, she is focused on helping Sophos maintain its status as a market leader in the security industry and ensuring that partners across the globe have the programs and support they need to make succeeding with Sophos simple.
Prior to Sophos, Krause spent six years at Fortinet as vice president of channel sales and was instrumental in steering the company’s channel sales growth strategy, program development and overall direction. Her extensive channel sales experience also stems from her roles at security vendors SonicWall and WatchGuard. Previous to working for manufacturers, she held various sales and product marketing roles for a computer and networking reseller. Kendra’s success at these companies has provided her with the foundation she needs to run a successful channel sales organization at a leading next-generation cybersecurity company.
“From a cybersecurity perspective, staying on top of advanced threats, improving customers’ security posture, and securing hybrid and full cloud customer environments (such as AWS, Azure, GCP, among others) will be the biggest challenge facing channel partners in 2024,” she said. “The complexity of modern operating environments, the velocity of new cyberthreats, and ongoing economic pressures have made always-on security operations an imperative. Channel partners must ensure they are equipped with scalable service offerings that not only enable them with the proper technology to detect and remediate threats, but that they work with vendors that are dedicated to their long-term success by providing expert teams, ongoing training and resources to realize mutual success.”
David LaRose
General Manager, IBM Partner Ecosystem, Sales
IBM
David LaRose’s resume resembles a passport. His more than year 30-year career with IBM has taken him from Sydney, Australia, to locations such as Tokyo, Shanghai and the Czech Republic. Now based in New York City, he leads the global IBM ecosystem unit, all partner channels and programs, responsible for setting business strategy.
“Partners are agile businesses that quickly assess best-of-breed technology to differentiate their value proposition,” he said. “I love the speed of the channel.”
It’s partners’ ability to assess technology that makes them so valuable to their clients, according to LaRose. “Partners are the bellwether of technology adoption, offering vendors invaluable feedback and insights on how to scale.”
Thai Lee
CEO & President
SHI International
For 35 years, Thai Lee has served as CEO and president of SHI International Group, a global IT tech solutions firm. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Lee is a seasoned channel member. She is also one with no shortage of influence in the space. In terms of accomplishments, Lee has plenty to choose from, but her most notable accolade is converting her business from a small regional reseller to a $10 billion+ global provider of IT products and solutions competing with some of the most sizable players in the channel.
Zane Long
Senior Vice President, Global Partner Sales
RingCentral
For the past eight years, Zane Long has been growing the UCaaS and CCaaS business for RingCentral and its partners. Experienced in board-level communications, public company operations and sales, he manages business unit results through hands-on execution to accomplish the mission. A veteran of nearly 25 years in the channel, Long served as vice president of the global strategic partner group at Vonage and national vice president of channel sales at Cbeyond, a company acquired by Birch in 2014. He was senior vice president for Genband and national vice president of indirect channel at Level 3 Communications.
Long is recognized in the industry for his ability to develop and drive outstanding channel program models. The “Channel Harmony” concept he implemented at RingCentral, for example, has flourished. In addition to being named to the Channel Futures Circle of Excellence three times, he took multiple turns as a Channel Futures Top Gun 51.
“The most significant lesson from my years in channel sales is the importance of building and maintaining strong relationships," Long told Channel Futures. "Success in this field relies heavily on trust and collaboration with partners, understanding their needs and aligning strategies for mutual growth.”
Jason Magee
CEO
ConnectWise
The chief executive officer at ConnectWise since 2019, Jason Magee holds one of the most influential positions in the MSP channel.
Dedicating his entire career to the industry, including 13 years in all at ConnectWise, holding director-level positions at CA Technologies and several years at reseller companies, Magee describes himself as “immersed” in the world of MSPs and VARs.
Over that time, he’s also been instrumental in launching industry-leading programs, partner incentives and vendor initiatives.
Described by colleagues as no less than a “channel genius” and one who “exemplifies the leadership characteristics that many strive for yet do not actually demonstrate,” expect Magee to continue to play a pivotal role dispensing IT management software to managed service providers worldwide for years to come.
Kathy Mazza
Head of Channel Sales
Ooma
Although relatively new to the role of heading up channel efforts at Ooma, Kathy Mazza is an industry vet. She has held positions with 8x8, CenturyLink Business and Covad Communications.
“I truly treasure the relationships that are formed through the channel,” said Mazza. “As a career technology salesperson, both direct and channel, I’ve always been told that people buy from people. Nowhere is that truer than in the channel. I have met so many people who have become friends through work. The channel is absolutely a family. Good times and bad, the channel rallies behind its own. I am deeply moved by the generosity and encouragement from countless folks within the channel who have played pivotal roles in helping me get to where I am today. I am committed to paying that forward, and that gratitude is accompanied by responsibility to our partners, their customers and the broader channel family.”
A key focus for Mazza and Ooma this year is POTS line replacement, an area where Ooma is carving a niche.
Ken McCray
Vice President, Channel Sales
Fortinet
Ken McCray joined Fortinet as vice president of channel sales in January 2023 with big plans to improve how the vendor works with partners, resulting in faster time to market and time to value. He replaced Jon Bove in the role. Before that, he was with McAfee for more than 28 years, and most recently served as head of channel sales and operations.
“In my 30-plus years in the industry, I’ve done nearly every job in sales and in the channel,” he said. “I often joke that if I haven’t seen it, it doesn’t exist. What continues to excite me about the channel is the opportunity to help solve challenges for our partners and their customers, and help their organizations grow. In my current role at Fortinet, which has a multichannel ecosystem and is a 100% channel-led company, I’m excited to continue evolving and building out our mature and thriving channel organization to ultimately drive profitability, growth and differentiation for our partners.”
Libby McIlhany
Chief Product Officer
Pax8
Libby Mcllhany has led product strategy and execution for cloud marketplace provider Pax8 since 2022. In early 2024, she assumed a new role as head of product at the company, in charge of global strategy, road mapping and implementation. Her involvement at all levels of the vendor — which reaches a range of channel partners, not just those specializing in one technology or as one partner type — has given her significant insights into making managed service providers and other partners successful.
“Probably my favorite thing about the channel is how deeply committed partners are to providing really world-class advice, support and help for their customers,” she said. “That focus on solving problems where customers are is inspiring. No matter how ambitious you are and what big ideas you have, make sure that you’re close to partners and what they need: Listen and learn.”
Denise Millard
Chief Partner Officer
Dell Technologies
Appointed chief partner officer at Dell Technologies in 2023, Denise Millard works closely with the company’s most strategic partners and industry experts to serve its customers.
She played a key role in one of tech’s most high-profile integrations − the combination of Dell and EMC – as a member of the team focused on the successful pairing of the two companies in 2016.
Tapping into her 25 years of sales and channel experience, Millard has a passion for connecting with customers, and enabling sales and partner organizations.
Collaboration, Millard says, is a “hallmark” of her leadership. That’s been required over the course of her career to launch partner and partner services programs, manage top partner relationships and drive program enablement to support both partner and direct sales.
One of Millard’s other passions is mentorship and development, sponsoring and contributing to Dell’s Women in Action Resource Group.
Brian Miller
Co-Founder
Bridgepointe Technologies
Brian Miller has a long track record of success as both an executive and sales leader. Bridgepointe has conducted numerous acquisitions and investments in existing and new channel partners since announcing more than $100 million in funding from Charlesbank at the beginning of 2022. And last month, it made an equity investment in BlueSky IT. Prior to Bridgepointe, Miller held sales management roles at Telseon and Qwest Communications.
“Our job at Bridgepointe is to create a differentiated experience for you, the sellers, as well as the suppliers, so you can leave here and go to bed every night knowing you’ve partnered up with the best group of people in this industry to help your customers and maximize the amount of money we make,” he said last October.
Mitch Morgan
CEO
New Charter Technologies
Under Mitch Morgan’s leadership, it’s not an exaggeration to say that New Charter Technologies has revolutionized the managed services industry.
New Charter, financially backed by investment firm Oval Partners, partners with MSPs, rather than formally acquiring them. With this approach, the company tends to bring the acquired company’s talent into the overarching business.
“We prioritize fostering collaborative environments where well-run companies seamlessly continue their operations, adapting to evolving trends and industry shifts,” Morgan said.
He got his start in the channel by owning an IT services company that he sold to a Fortune 500 company, then was an industry consultant for 12 years.
The CEO’s philosophy, he told Channel Futures, mirrors the Golden Rule: “Build relationships, treat others with respect, and help where you can as your efforts come back to you.”
Joyce Mullen
CEO & President
Insight
Joyce Mullen is a trailblazer for women in technology. The president and CEO of solutions integrator Insight Enterprises for more than two years now, she joined the company in 2020 after 21 years at Dell Technologies, where she last served as president of global channel, embedded and edge solutions.
In her first position at Insight, president of North America, the company’s net sales in the region jumped 14%, despite the pandemic. Then at Dell, channel sales under her direction topped $50 billion.
Insight, a Microsoft Partner of the Year, made big headlines last year when it bought SADA Systems, the Google Cloud-exclusive partner. The $410 million deal is perhaps the largest ever involving a channel partner organization built and run by a single family.
Under Mullen’s leadership, Insight landed at No. 1 on the 2022 Channel Futures MSP 501, the world’s most comprehensive ranking of managed service providers.
Darcee Nelan
CEO
IQ Wired
Darcee Nelan came into the channel in 2004 when she took a channel manager role at Eschelon Telecom.
“Eschelon had only launched in the channel about six months prior to my taking that position, so it was not only a new role for me but the whole concept of channel sales was new to Eschelon as well,” she said. “I made many of the typical ‘rookie’ mistakes, but my agents helped educate me on the dos and don’ts of the channel.”
In the years since her rookie phase, Nelan has learned to appreciate working with stand-up partners and clients.
“I’ve learned so many lessons during my 20 years in the channel,” she said. “One of the most important things I’ve learned is that people who are willing to take accountability regardless of the situation or the role they are in are rare and are of great value. Accountable people produce outcomes and are true partners rather than simply a vendor.”
For the past 14 years, Nelan has been at Denver-based IQ Wired, a woman-owned and woman-run boutique technology solutions provider.
“My favorite thing about the channel is having the autonomy to provide solutions that are customized for our clients, without being bound to specific service providers,” she said. “Due to the fact that we represent hundreds of service providers, we are able to offer services that provide a complete solution without being restricted by geography, rules of engagement, etc. This autonomy allows us to advocate for our clients and add value in ways that they otherwise might not experience if they worked with the service providers directly.”
Nelan takes pride in the fact that IQ Wired has received numerous awards but is most pleased to have been recognized by the Denver Business Journal on three separate occasions as a Best Place to Work. Nelan was instrumental in the formation of the Technology Channel Sales Professional (TCSP) Association, the first nonprofit trade association representing the interests of sales agents in the channel. She has previously been named a Channel Influencer and was a member of the inaugural Technology Advisor (TA) 101. Nelan serves on the partner advisory councils for several service providers, including Comcast.
Jeetu Patel
Executive Vice President & General Manager, Security & Collaboration Business Units
Cisco
Jeetu Patel leverages a diverse set of capabilities to lead the strategy and development for Cisco’s security and collaboration businesses, as well as having P&L responsibility for its multibillion-dollar portfolio. He is helping to redefine Cisco's SaaS business and strategy to further accelerate the company's transformation and growth.
Last December, Cisco acquired Isovalent, the provider of open-source technologies Cilium and eBPF. The acquisition will build on Cisco Security Cloud, an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, cloud-delivered, integrated security platform.
“Together with Isovalent, Cisco will build on the open source power of Cilium to create a truly unique multicloud and networking capability to help customers simplify and accelerate their digital transformation journeys,” Patel told Channel Futures. “Imagine in today’s distributed environment — of applications, virtual machines, containers and cloud assets — having security controls with total visibility, without hindering networking and application performance. The combination of Cisco and Isovalent will make this a reality.”
Mark Phaneuf
Senior Vice President, Channel – East
Sandler Partners
Mark Phaneuf, Sandler Partners’ senior vice president of channel for the East, is a dedicated leader, bringing more than 20 years of experience to his role. He’s committed to supporting partners as they build and grow their residual income by selling the carrier, network, cloud and wireless solution options available within the Sandler Partners’ provider portfolio. He’s well known in the technology community, having held channel roles with top technology companies for more than 20 years. Before joining Sandler Partners, he held channel leadership roles with Intelisys, where he provided comprehensive recruitment, support and management of sales partners in the Northeast, and XO Communications, where he grew and developed the New England market with XO and developed long-term partners to work with XO and AT&T.
“Our channel is an amazing ecosystem,” he said. “There are always new opportunities with new technologies and this position never gets old. Just when a provider or solution sunsets, another two open up that our clients want to talk about. The channel is stronger than ever and I don’t see that changing.”
Michelle Ragusa-McBain
Vice President, Global Channels
SonicWall
Think of Michelle Ragusa-McBain as lightning in a bottle. As well known for her positivity and enthusiasm as for her intelligence and expertise, she has spent 20 years promoting and improving the channel. And anyone who knows her won’t be surprised to learn that she’s happy to tell her own story.
“I began in the channel accidentally. I was looking for a career opportunity, somebody took a chance on me and that opportunity changed the trajectory of my life and my career. I was at an alumni event for my alma mater and a fellow alum and leader took an interest in my background and goals. He asked me if I could sell him a router. I told him I didn’t know what a router was, but that if he taught me, I would be able to sell him three. He liked that response and that launched my career, now running 20 years in the technology channel.
“I like to let people know that I’m the first in my family to go to college, and the first to get an MBA, and the first to work in technology. Representation and mentorship matters. I actively try to do the same thing for new entries into the space as he did for me.
“I’m a road warrior, visiting our partners around the world as the vice president of global channels for SonicWall. I love what I do and the people with whom I interact. I also love my family, so if I have to be away from them for work, I love that the channel partners are my second family. We truly care about our partners, professionally and personally. We want them to succeed, to grow and to be happy together.
“People know that I care. And for me it’s not about selling them just anything; it’s about being there for them in bad times and good. Together, we all help one another. I work to earn their trust and assure them that my team and I have their back."
Frank Rauch
Global Channel Chief
Cato Networks
Frank Rauch, a well-known and respected veteran of the technology industry, has been on senior executive teams at IBM, HPE, VMware and Check Point leading channel, strategy and field sales teams. It was while he was at HPE that he first got involved with the channel.
“I managed a large enterprise sales force for HPE and took an opportunity to run strategy and planning, which gave me an opportunity to learn about the channel,” he said. “In 2005 I had my first channel job running Americas for HPE.”
Like many other Influencers, he considers people to be his favorite thing about the channel, “the friendships formed and kept over the years, and mutually accomplishing dreams and goals with many channel partners.”
He joined Cato Networks last year from Check Point where he rebuilt the company’s standing in the channel, transforming the security vendor from an also-ran in the partner community to a frontrunner. He sees communication as key.
“Start the conversation from the partner perspective,” he said. “The more you walk in their shoes, the more authentic the conversations.”
Over the years, Rauch’s channel teams have won more than 150 industry awards and he is a proud mentor to more than 20 current channel leaders. Rauch himself made Channel Futures’ list of Top 20 Cybersecurity Leaders for 2022, was inducted into Channel Futures’ Circle of Excellence and has previously been named a Channel Futures Top Gun 51 and a Channel Influencer.
Natasha Royer Coons
CEO
Advantix Solutions Group
Natasha Royer Coons is a proven entrepreneur and accomplished executive with more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. She started at Sprint in enterprise sales and sales engineering management before founding TeraNova, a mobility and expense management provider. When TeraNova merged with Advantix in 2018, she became a partner and chief revenue officer at Advantix. She became the company’s first female CEO in March 2023.
Royer Coons believes strongly in the power of the channel.
“TeraNova was 100% channel with no direct sales. Advantix is the same. I wouldn’t do it any other way," she said.
And what’s her favorite thing about the channel?
“The channel is full of entrepreneurs and Type A personalities. These are visionaries that made magic happen by being bold and taking risks,” she said. “That’s appealing on its own. But it also drives innovation, fosters economic growth and empowers an entire channel of individuals and businesses to thrive. We are part of an incredible ecosystem. Finally, at the end of the day, it’s all about relationships. I’ve met amazing people and I cherish my relationships through 25 years of being in the channel."
In 2021, Royer Coons was the first woman and Asian American to be elected president of the Enterprise Technology Management Association (ETMA). She has won a Chuck Mache Award, a prestigious honor that Intelisys bestows annually for being a role model in the channel. She also was named to the inaugural Channel Futures DE&I 101 list for her commitment to driving DE&I initiatives in the technology channel.
Aqeel Shahid
Vice President, Global Strategic Partners
Vonage
With more than 20 years of sales and leadership experience in the software and communications field, Aqeel Shahid has been successfully leading sales teams both in the field and in channel groups at Vonage for the last 15 years.
“I got involved in the channel early in my sales career when working with customers on their technology needs,” he said. “I quickly learned that working with the channel not only allowed me to network with peers but also gave me the ability to share insights and access resources that could help me succeed.”
Prior to joining Vonage, Shahid served in various sales leadership roles at companies such as Eschelon Telecom/Integra Telecom and Sprint.
“The biggest challenge facing the channel partner community is staying agile and adaptable in the face of constant change, while continuing to deliver value and drive growth in a dynamic and evolving digital landscape,” he said. “With technology advancing at a rapid pace and consumer behavior shifting constantly, partners may struggle to keep up with emerging platforms, tools and strategies that can affect their businesses and collaborations. Additionally, maintaining relevance and engagement in an increasingly crowded and competitive market poses a significant challenge for partners as they strive to differentiate themselves and provide value to their audiences and stakeholders.”
Paul Spencer
Channel Chief
T-Mobile for Business
As the channel leader for partner sales at T-Mobile for Business, Paul Spencer is the face of the “un-carrier’s” channel. Under his leadership, T-Mobile for Business has made a huge investment in the channel over the past three years, including as title sponsor of the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, where you will once again see Spencer on the keynote stage as part of our “expert” panel.
Colleagues and customers describe him as an “incredibly engaged, brilliant leader,” a “hands-on player coach who is passionate about his team” and a “fantastic partner whose consistency strives for positive outcomes for all parties.”
Also a member of the 2023 Channel Futures Circle of Excellence, T-Mobile for Business says Spencer has led the company’s approach to provide immeasurable value to the channel partner community.
Bob Stegner
Senior Vice President, Marketing, Technology Solutions, North America
TD Synnex
Bob Stegner is one of the most well-respected marketers in the channel, having spent nearly his entire career in distribution. After a long run at Ingram Micro, he joined SYNNEX in 2007 as senior vice president of marketing, North America. He took on that role for the combined Tech Data-SYNNEX (TD SYNNEX) when the companies merged in 2021.
Stegner’s storied career includes induction into the CompTIA IT Hall of Fame in 2020 for his decades-long impact on the channel.
You might say he was born for this: Stegner’s father ran a VAR business.
“Maintaining a laser focus on your local community and striving to provide unparalleled service should be at the heart of your strategy,” said Stegner, when we asked him the most important lesson he’s learned in his career. “Personal relationships are, without a doubt, your most significant asset. Cultivating these relationships not only fosters loyalty but also builds a foundation of trust and reliability that can drive your business.”
Sam Sundstrom
Director, Marketing
Lumen Technologies
“I love that the channel is one big, close family,” said Sam Sundstrom, director of indirect marketing at Lumen, which gives him oversight of everything related to marketing for the Lumen channel partner program.
Sundstrom has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, with 14 of those in the channel. He says he has loved supporting Lumen’s vast network of partners and building relationships over the years.
“Business is personal,” Sundstrom told Channel Futures. “The channel is built on great relationships. It’s important to build and foster your professional network to grow from both a personal and company perspective.”
Sundstrom, who serves on the Channel Futures/Channel Partners Advisory Board, says he has taken lessons from a number of influential channel leaders and is able to pass along his own version of influence to colleagues and staff.
Mark Tina
Channel Chief & Vice President, Indirect Partner Sales
Verizon
As Verizon’s channel leader, Mark Tina delivers the company’s national channel strategy to ensure profitable revenue growth and a focus on the customer experience mindset. He took the role last August, taking the helm of an influential group of partner programs that have consolidated in recent years. Prior to taking this role, he was president of business sales for Verizon and his tenure at the company extends all the way back to 2003.
Tina was responsible for leading the B2B organization consisting of more than 1,000 sales professionals and leaders. The team focused on serving SMBs with innovative managed solutions for total connectivity, communications and collaboration. His team helped to accelerate the recovery of medium-size businesses in the United States with Verizon’s 5G network, as well as security and connectivity solutions.
"I am a big believer in the power of connection, and the channel is all about making connections and building mutually beneficial relationships," Tina said. "People buy from people who they like and trust, which makes these partnerships so critical. The work we do with our partners allows us to connect with communities we otherwise might not be able to reach. This, coupled with the opportunity to work with top-tier partners to deliver best-in-class technology and valuable end-to-end solutions for our business customers makes us unstoppable."
Dan Tomaszewski
Executive Vice President, Channel
Kaseya
As executive vice president of channel at Kaseya, Dan Tomaszewski and his team of experts empower MSPs to be more successful.
Tomaszewski is best known as the builder of Powered Services, the Kaseya platform that’s helped 7,000 managed service providers close deals and go to market faster.
Before he joined Kaseya, he himself was the CEO of an MSP, so he knows what makes them tick.
A big part of Tomaszewski’s job is helping MSPs overcome today’s challenges.
“With the increase in competition, there’s pressure to lower prices, which can lead to margin erosion. MSPs must find ways to reduce operational costs and increase their efficiency without compromising the quality of their services,” he told Channel Futures. “This can involve leveraging automation, adopting new business models, and finding innovative ways to deliver value to clients.”
Matthew Toth
Founder & CEO
C3 Technology Advisors
Matthew Toth is guiding a rocket ship in the form of Michigan-based agency and consultancy C3. In an industry where many partners never exceed $1 million in revenue, Toth’s firm is making its way toward $100 million. Moreover, Toth is not going at it alone, having built a team of roughly 40 people. He takes pride in developing leaders at C3 and celebrating their success.
Moreover, Toth celebrates the success of his peers in the technology advisor channel and regularly exchanges ideas with other leaders.
“We all know that collectively, we own such a small amount of the collective IT spend. We rarely compete against each other so we don’t think twice about sharing best practices,” Toth said.
Chance Weaver
President
I.T. Responsive (Now with New Charter Technologies)
Everything in the channel moves at top speed — the products, the providers and the people. In 2023, Chance Weaver received the Channel Futures MSP 501 Lifetime Achievement award for, among other things, his accomplishments as president of I.T. Responsive, a New Charter Technologies Company. He led I.T. Responsive to unprecedented growth from its conversion to a technology solutions provider in 2012 until it joined New Charter Technologies in 2021. Since then, I.T. Responsive has changed its name to Greystone Technology (and is still a part of New Charter Technologies) and Weaver has moved over to form New Charter’s Microsoft practice.
Weaver got into the channel in 1997 when he founded Platinum PC, a hardware reselling venture. Through diligent networking, he cultivated strong ties with major distributors and Microsoft. As the industry evolved, so did his company, transitioning in 2007 into the VAR I.T. Responsive. By 2016, the company had further transformed into an MSP that eventually integrated with New Charter Technologies.
As Weaver was directing the growth and transformation of his company, he developed an extensive network of relationships across the channel which he values for “the sense of community and the genuine desire to support one another.”
During his more than 25 years in the channel, Weaver has learned that “integrity and transparency are paramount. Sustaining enduring partnerships hinges on my unwavering commitment to honesty and forthrightness in all my interactions with vendors and partners," he said.
Looking ahead, Weaver has his eye on AI developments in the channel.
“Artificial intelligence presents a significant challenge, characterized by both uncertainty and vast potential,” he said. “The growing importance of data and its governance signals a profound transformation in the channel landscape, offering both unprecedented opportunities and complexities to navigate.”
Matt Yanchyshyn
General Manager, Marketplace & Partner Engineering
AWS
As leader of AWS Marketplace, Matt Yanchyshyn plays a key role in bringing together capabilities across the traditional AWS partner network and Marketplace. In 2023, for example, Yanchyshyn pushed the centralization of AWS Partner Central and the AWS Marketplace management portal. Combining capabilities streamlined workflows for channel partners — including allowing them to create software offerings and link them to Marketplace products or Private Offers. “You can manage your whole end-to-end pipeline, your customer pipeline, in one place and then manage all the analytics around it,” Yanchyshyn told Channel Futures in November 2023.
“Resellers and distribution partners are powering AWS Marketplace growth, and we’re investing in features to better support our global manager service provider partner community,” he added in February 2024. “We’re just getting started.”
To be sure, Yanchyshyn has proven vital to expanding AWS Marketplace to include more partner types, not just independent software vendors. And these channel experts, especially those focused on consulting and professional services, can expect more to come from AWS Marketplace and Yanchyshyn.
“This is a multi-year experience transformation,” Yanchyshyn said last year, noting in February, “I’ve seen firsthand how channel partners can scale our business and drive better customer outcomes.”
Partners, Yanchyshyn concluded, are “your best ally.”
Matt Yanchyshyn
General Manager, Marketplace & Partner Engineering
AWS
As leader of AWS Marketplace, Matt Yanchyshyn plays a key role in bringing together capabilities across the traditional AWS partner network and Marketplace. In 2023, for example, Yanchyshyn pushed the centralization of AWS Partner Central and the AWS Marketplace management portal. Combining capabilities streamlined workflows for channel partners — including allowing them to create software offerings and link them to Marketplace products or Private Offers. “You can manage your whole end-to-end pipeline, your customer pipeline, in one place and then manage all the analytics around it,” Yanchyshyn told Channel Futures in November 2023.
“Resellers and distribution partners are powering AWS Marketplace growth, and we’re investing in features to better support our global manager service provider partner community,” he added in February 2024. “We’re just getting started.”
To be sure, Yanchyshyn has proven vital to expanding AWS Marketplace to include more partner types, not just independent software vendors. And these channel experts, especially those focused on consulting and professional services, can expect more to come from AWS Marketplace and Yanchyshyn.
“This is a multi-year experience transformation,” Yanchyshyn said last year, noting in February, “I’ve seen firsthand how channel partners can scale our business and drive better customer outcomes.”
Partners, Yanchyshyn concluded, are “your best ally.”
A highlight of our editorial year, Channel Futures is proud to present our Channel Influencers for 2024.
This year’s list features 50 vendor decision-makers, distribution leaders and partner executives, all with one thing in common — they have been noteworthy for their impact and influence on the channel over the past year. Some have made actual headlines for their actions, while others have been behind the scenes taking steps leading to significant benefits – or consequences – for the indirect sales channel.
And we expect that to continue throughout 2024.
Our editorial team singled out two people from this prestigious list as our Channel Futures Channel Influencers of the Year.
Christopher R. Jones, assistant vice president, sales channel, AT&T, is a longtime advocate for the partner community. He has bridged the gap with partners at the carrier, which not long ago officially referred to its channel business as an “alternate” channel.
Jones and his team have been instrumental in helping AT&T win back market share in an agent channel that frequently turns to cable companies and aggregators to sell connectivity. He also has worked to build better relationships with technology services distributors (TSDs), whose importance to the carrier is now well-known within the AT&T Business C-suite.
No longer is the channel merely a “rounding error” at AT&T, as Telarus chief operating officer Richard Murray described, with several TSDs now ranking among the top partners in the AT&T Alliance Channel.
In the big picture, AT&T’s channel leaders want to take an even bigger bite out of the whopping $33.5 billion AT&T generated in its business division last year. Direct sales has historically dominated the business segment, but CEO John Stankey has vowed that the company needs to expand its distribution channels and third-party cooperation. In particular, the company views the channel as essential in winning over midsize customers from its foes in the cable world. Jones’ Alliance Channel and ACC Business groups, which the carrier realigned just last week under AT&T’s midmarkets division, are seen as key drivers for growth.
“Chris has been a big factor in AT&T’s focus on doubling down and investing in taking its channel program to the next level, inspiring a new level of confidence throughout the channel community and accelerating demand for its solutions,” said Avant CEO Ian Kieninger.
We will recognize Jones on stage at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, March 11-14, at the Venetian Las Vegas.
Representing the traditional IT channel as our Influencer of the Year is Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom, which rocked the tech industry in 2023 with its $61 billion purchase of VMware. But it’s what came after that shook the channel to its foundation.
The company proceeded to lay off thousands, and many high-ranking VMware channel executives left the business. Then Broadcom combined VMware products in ways that many partners and their customers see as forcing consumption of — and therefore the need to pay for — unwanted solutions. The pièce de resistance came when Tan and Co. terminated the VMware partner program, initially indicating that a high revenue threshold would be required to get an invitation to the Broadcom program, though now in its public-facing FAQ says that no revenue threshold will be enforced.
Despite Tan’s repeated proclamations in 2023 of supporting a “robust channel ecosystem” and the acquisition of VMware being a “win-win-win” for customers, partners and future partners, when Broadcom eliminated the VMware partner program before Christmas, some partners took to social media to say they didn’t even receive an email about the news. And so did VMware employees.
“Everyone is surprised by this action,” wrote one user on Reddit. “In fact, … I am hearing about it here.”
Tan hasn’t won many fans in the channel, but it might be for that very reason that he’s had so much impact. Tan, unlike many top CEOs, is right in the middle of making decisions pertaining directly to the channel. And the company’s shareholders have been gleeful, seeing its stock price jump 30% since the acquisition closed and more than 100% since the deal was announced in spring 2022.
Furthermore, it would be short-changing Broadcom's CEO by associating him only with the VMware channel controversy. He now has a legacy of major acquisitions − notably CA and Symantec, and now VMware − that have turned his company into one of the largest and most important enterprise software providers in the world.
Jones and Tan follow in the footsteps of our Channel Futures Channel Influencer hall-of-famers, who include Gavriella Schuster, Janet Schijns, John DeLozier, Jay McBain, Rich Hume, Christopher Trapp, and 2023's honorees: Aryaka's Craig Patterson and Kaseya's Fred Voccola.
See our slideshow above for more on Jones and Tan, as well as the other four-dozen Influencers that we selected as this year’s Channel Futures Channel Influencers.
Download the digital issue featuring in-depth profiles of our Channel Influencers of the Year and a gallery of all of this year's honorees.
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