Aryaka Announces Global Channel Team, Taps Lumen Alum for EMEA

Aryaka Networks unveiled four individuals who will play a key role in advancing the managed SD-WAN and SASE provider’s global channel efforts, including a channel sales vice president for EMEA.

San Mateo, California-based Aryaka continues to expand the Accelerate partner program it launched a year ago. Part of that expansion means replicating success Aryaka found in the Americas in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions. To that end, the company named four members of its global channel team, having promoted three and hired one.

Jon Selway

Aryaka’s John Selway

Jon Selway joined Aryaka in January as vice president of channel sales for EMEA. He’ll oversee Aryaka’s channel team in the region as well its partner recruitment.

Selway is a longtime CenturyLink/Lumen alum who worked alongside Aryaka’s global channel lead, Craig Patterson. Selway most recently worked as a sales director for Lumen’s wholesale organization in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

He operates out of England.

Nicole Steele

Aryaka’s Nicole Steele

Nicole Steele has moved from director of Americas channel marketing and enablement to director of global channel marketing and enablement. She takes responsibility for creating and running partner programs working with Aryaka’s channel sales team.

Steele worked at SAP prior to joining Aryaka in early 2022.

Aryaka’s Sarah Cothran

Sarah Cothran

Recently appointed global director of channel programs and operations Sarah Cothran had been serving as director of channel programs and operations since December 2021. The Windstream alumna’s oversight includes partner commissions and the channel development team.

Layeeque Ahmed

Layeeque Ahmed serves as director of channel sales for Asia Pacific. He joined Aryaka in 2017 as a sales rep in APAC and EMEA and progressed into a channel development and business development representative manager for APAC and EMEA. He earned the promotion to APAC director of channel sales in September.

His new responsibilities include regional channel team and its sales growth, as well as partner recruitment and alternate regional market routes.

Aryaka’s Layeeque Ahmed

He operates out of India.

Program Enhancements

Aryaka last month unveiled its Throttle lead generation program. The program provides 20 elite partners, who will meet certification criteria and sales goals, with qualified customer leads.

Aryaka’s Craig Patterson

“The Aryaka Accelerate Global Partner Program has grown rapidly in its first year,” said Craig Patterson, Aryaka’s senior vice president of global channels. “We’ve adopted a unified global framework and invested in proven channel leaders to align and optimize our shared resources to grow channel-led revenue worldwide in 2023.”

Patterson last summer earned a promotion from vice president of Americas channel sales. He joined the company in 2021.