Avaya's New Strategic Partner Leader: We Must 'Shed Legacy Company Reputation'

**Editor’s Note: Click here to see which channel people were on the move in April.**

Avaya has hired Dino Di Palma, previously BroadSoft’s chief revenue offer, to fill the newly created role of president of strategic partners and global accounts.

In this role, Di Palma will lead the strategy and execution of Avaya’s go-to-market in this “important growth segment” with SIs, strategic partners and technology solution providers globally, the company said.

Prior to his tenure with BroadSoft, leading the company’s global sales operations, he had leadership positions overseeing global sales and business development, customer service and support, and manufacturing operations at Benu Networks and Acme Packet, prior to its acquisition by Oracle.

Cisco acquired BroadSoft last fall.

Avaya’s Dino Di Palma

“With Dino Di Palma, we are adding a recognized leader and proven visionary in global cloud and communications solutions to lead Avaya’s charge in this area,” said Jim Chirico, Avaya’s president and CEO. “He brings a unique understanding of the customer, and how technology innovation can address their rapidly evolving business needs. Dino also brings a disruptive, entrepreneurial and winning mindset, based on his extensive experience as leader and proven track record.”

In March, Avaya launched its Cloud Master Agent Program, designed to accelerate sales of the company’s cloud services to small and midmarket businesses. Jenne signed up as Avaya’s first master agent, followed more recently by Intelisys, with more sign-ups to come.

Avaya became a public company in January.

In a Q&A with Channel Partners, Di Palma talks about his goals in his new role and his plans for working with partners.

Channel Partners: Why did you want to join Avaya?

Dino Di Palma: Avaya has a unique opportunity to be a startup with a brand name and a strong financial position. Speaking to Jim and the management team, I was convinced that Avaya is looking to lean in and be disruptive. Business communications and technology are moving at a groundbreaking pace. Being part of a company that can meet these challenges is exciting. I have been part of startups my entire career. Brand and financial stability was something we had as a primary goal. We have this at the starting block.

CP: How will your previous experience, especially with BroadSoft, come into play in this new role?

DD: BroadSoft, in conjunction with other startups like Acme Packet, instill a sense of urgency. The UC cloud market is moving now. The market is looking for a partner that will bring cloud UC, CC (and) collaboration to market.

CP: Does your previous experience include working with partners? What do you want partners to know about you and what you’re like to work with?

DD: Partners are critical for both distribution and technology offerings. We need partners to be successful. At Acme Packet and BroadSoft, we understood we needed partners to capture a global market. We need a direct touch to ensure our customers understand …

… the value of Avaya and leverage our partners for global reach. We also need to be part of the solution that the tier 1 SIs bring to market.

CP: What are the biggest issues facing Avaya and how will you address them in your new role?

DD: We need to shed the reputation of being a legacy company. We and (our) team will work to demonstrate that we are innovative. The work we are doing in CC, cloud mobility, artificial intelligence (AI) (and) UC are first rate. The world needs to know. We will leverage partners and our go to market team to tell the story.

CP: What is your take on Avaya’s channel strategy? Are any changes needed?

DD: We have great partners. The key is to ensure that we have direct touch and the end customer understands Avaya’s technology leadership.

CP: Will partner feedback impact your role? What do you want to hear from partners?

DD: Feedback in general is a key to success. We have an obligation to listen to our partners and customers. Companies that believe they know best most often fail.

CP: What do you hope to have accomplished a year from now?

DD: My goal is that our tier 1 partners and strategic accounts view Avaya as a technology leader and partner. When the tech world thinks of innovation, Avaya is your partner.