Gary Levy: Semafone Partners Can Differentiate Themselves, Take More Market Share

Semafone partners will play a key role in the company grabbing more market share as security and compliance challenges mount for organizations.

That’s according to Gary Levy, who recently took the role of Semafone’s chief revenue officer of the Americas. He’ll oversee Semafone’s Americas region and revenue-generating operations, including pre-sales, direct sales and channel sales.

Moreover, Levy will focus on growing the organization’s go-to-market capabilities and securing technology alliances to accelerate product development. In addition, he’ll bring Semafone’s portfolio into new and existing global markets.

Semafone provides secure cloud, hybrid and on-premises solutions to contact centers and all businesses accepting payments.

Before Semafone and Oracle, Levy spent nearly 30 years with Avaya. There, he was vice president of Americas channel sales, transforming partnerships and driving sales across five regions.

Most recently, Levy served as Oracle‘s vice president of worldwide enterprise alliances and channels. There, he was responsible for fostering critical relationships, partnerships and alliances to transform the global channel ecosystem.

In June, Semafone secured a majority investment from Livingbridge, a midmarket private equity firm with a global presence. The capital will allow Semafone to continue investing in its solutions portfolio, accelerate go-to-market (GTM) strategy and drive global expansion.

Semafone Partners Central to New Role

In a Q&A with Channel Futures, Levy talks about his plans in his new role.

Channel Futures: Why did you want to take this role with Semafone?

Semafone’s Gary Levy

Gary Levy: Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to deepen my experience in contact center operations, and gain insight into the ins and outs of security and compliance. From this, I understand the direct relationship between security practices and customer experience. Semafone was a natural next step for me. I have seen the company enhance its portfolio over the last few years and experience a strong investment round this summer. This, paired with their visionary roadmap, is something I am excited to be a part of.

CF: Is this role a departure from your history in channel leadership? If so, how?

GL: I don’t view the CRO Americas role as a departure from channel leadership. Rather, it is an extension of the years of experience I’ve held in previous positions. I believe that a successful channel is always tightly aligned with all aspects of the business. My role at Semafone will leverage all routes and strategies to accelerate our GTM efforts, whether through alliances and marketplaces, or via traditional channels.

I look forward to using my channel experience to …

… expand and drive Semafone’s channel and partner strategy, across the United States, Canada and South America.

CF: What can Semafone partners expect from you in the coming months?

GL: A focus on partnerships will be a core part of my role and is intrinsic to the growth strategy for Semafone. I’ve spent a large part of my career dialed into partnerships and I will continue doing so here. I am eager to build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships that expand Semafone’s technology alliances and partnerships, which are critical to the success of any organization. Semafone provides a way for partners to differentiate themselves from competitors by delivering solutions that solve complex issues, securely and easily, and at the same time improve customer experience. I hope to make those key value propositions clear to current and future partners.

CF: What’s your take on the market in which Semafone operates? Is there room for Semafone to grab more market share?

GL: Compliance and security challenges will always weigh on organizations, and Semafone provides an excellent portfolio of solutions for today’s ever-changing market. Unfortunately, too many businesses are stuck using lengthy, manual processes for consumer data protection, regulatory compliance and security. Semafone is in a pivotal position to educate and lead the market through the acceleration in digitalization and use of omnichannel. Our solutions enable compliant, secure and frictionless customer interactions across all channels handling personally identifiable information (PII). I expect our company to take more of the market share as we continue expanding, and reaching new customers and partners. In the Americas market specifically, the regulatory landscape is complex and dynamic, providing Semafone with many huge opportunities.

CF: Who are Semafone’s competitors? How will you help give Semafone and its partners a competitive advantage?

GL: Data security and compliance standards are evolving rapidly every year, trying to keep pace with rapid advances in technology. Invariably, the burden on businesses to stay compliant only grows heavier. Our biggest competitor isn’t another solution provider. It is the organizations that do nothing or put off the taking action. Security and compliance cannot be an afterthought or deprioritized, given the personal data and brand reputation at stake. Semafone provides a market-leading portfolio of solutions that automates the compliance process, making it quicker and easier. I hope to bring new perspective to the team as we continue gaining traction in and out of the Americas. My years of experience in the contact center industry, knowledge of building cloud partner models, and deep understanding of security and compliance will help guide our tactics for revenue-generating operations.

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

GL: Semafone is experiencing tremendous international growth. Over the course of the next year, I hope to expand Semafone’s footprint in the Americas, especially in the United States and Canada, where there is a real opportunity for impact. A successful year in my mind will be one fueled by an uptick in revenue generation through technology alliances and partnerships.