New VMware Americas Channel Chief: ‘I Set My Sights on This Role’
Find out more about Tara Fine, her philosophy on and vision for partners, thoughts on Broadcom and more.
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Channel Futures: Let’s start with your philosophy on the channel.
VMware’s Tara Fine: I’ve been in the partner world for about 12 years, and I would say it’s evolved over that time. But that being said, I think the core elements haven’t changed and those are trust … and foundational simplification — how do we simplify things for our partners? How do we be an advocate, both internally and externally? And last, but certainly not least, is around humility. … [At Dell], I was asked to lead an organization that was brand-new, working with partners which we had not historically, and it required a lot of humility in order to gain the trust of partners who were, previous to that, competitors. And so this one for me is very near and dear to my heart, and it’s something that I plan on taking forward into this role at VMware as we work through the next couple of years.
CF: Interesting. The idea of humility is not terribly prevalent in our sector, right? So I’m really curious to learn more, and how you intend to apply it at VMware as the Americas channel chief.
TF: It’s a great question. I think humility first of all starts with listening, like actively listening. While I believe I have a good sense of what the challenges are, it doesn’t mean that I know it all. And so it’s just making sure I stay open and be an active listener to all our different partner types.
The other element to humility for me in this role is around VMware [itself]. It’s a brand, and I think VMware historically has a great reputation in terms of excellence and innovation. But I also think times have changed. Customers and partners have lots of choice [and need] compelling reasons to continue to be a great partner with us.
Those are … the two areas around humility that I’m focused on.
CF: With regard to what you were just talking about around your philosophy on the channel, let’s get into vision. What’s your vision for this role and your interaction with partners?
TF: A few things are top of mind for me. No. 1 is accelerating our multicloud vision through the partner ecosystem. I don’t think we can execute that vision without it. So, how do we prepare our partners? How do we help enable them. How do we make it profitable?
How do we make it simple?
No. 2 is around creating and delivering the best partner experience. … That centers around partner programs. What does our sales and field engagement look like, and profitability, and our deal registration programs? All of those elements, I think, are critical to delivering that partner experience. And also important is our interaction with our sales field teams.
How do we make that predictable? How do we demonstrate our partners’ value and take out an “us vs them” scenario, which I think our brand sometimes is seen as.
CF: How do you plan to address that “us vs them” issue, especially the deal-registration aspect? That’s a big deal, channel conflict, regardless of company. Readers would really like to understand what changes you’re planning to make.
TF: So I can’t do it alone, in terms of those changes. First and foremost is gaining the trust of, and building the relationships with, the Americas field sales teams. I think that is fundamental. I think educating them on our partners is a critical element. What is the value they add? How can they help our sales organizations actually grow their business? I think a lot of our field teams don’t know what our partners are capable of, and I think that’s an absolute opportunity for myself and my team to close that gap.
CF: Obviously deal registration and channel conflict are not new issues. Why do you think now is the time to really tackle those? And why do you think you and your team are the people to achieve that?
TF: Well, working collaboratively, of course, with the worldwide partner organization — which owns our deal registration program — and becoming strong partners with them, being the voice of our partners in the field, is a critical component.
In terms of our deal registration program. I would say we have evolved, and I would say versus when I [started here] six years ago, we have made some pretty significant changes based on feedback from our partners and from our field teams.
The complexity also comes from the evolution of our products, our routes to market, our sales cycles. How do we incorporate all of that into a deal registration program? I don’t expect to figure it out in the next three weeks, but I would tell you that we are making progress. I think the new Partner Connect program that’s going to launch next year will be a key element of that.
But just as we evolve it, there’s new things already coming up right that we’ve got to go think about.
CF: That’s a great point, right? Because while “ecosystem” is a buzz word, it’s real. It’s partners working together and partners of all different types that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to come together on a project. I would love to hear how you would elaborate on compensating fairly and appropriately — it’s a very complicated endeavor.
TF: I would agree and I have a lot to learn in this area. In terms of how all of those elements operate together at the Americas level, working with our strategic ecosystem organization is going to be an important part of that. So it’s making sure we partner collectively together because I’m not alone in this. We do have a really mature, experienced ecosystem partner organization that exists at a worldwide level, and we need to make sure we continue to be the voice of our partners — both those larger ecosystem partners along with our partners that are part of our regional and national programs on the day-to-day basis.
CF: Back to your role, in particular. You obviously went through a whole interview process and presented ideas and thoughts that convinced leadership you’re the right person for this role. And so I would be really curious to know what some of those were, and what kind of revenue growth you are expecting under your leadership for the Americas channel team.
TF: I set my sights on this role many years ago. I’ve been at VMware six years. It was the role that I had set my sights on when I joined, and I think I was patient. I didn’t want to go anywhere; I wanted to continue to make an impact. I’ve felt a lot of passion around this organization, and I truly feel privileged to have been given the platform to go make a bigger impact over these next few years, especially in this time of change and uncertainty. This is where I think [partners] need leaders the most.
In terms of what they can expect from me for revenue growth, I didn’t set any expectations. I know what I bring to the table in terms of leadership, leading through transformation, leading complex, diverse organizations across different countries, different cultures. And I think I’ve built a trust internally and externally with the partners I’ve worked with. Those are the reasons why I got this role.
CF: Let’s revisit that idea of uncertainty and change, because one of the glaring topics here is the Broadcom acquisition. So, as you are in this role, and as you’re starting to talk with partners as the leader, what assurances and guidance are you providing them?
TF: So I don’t know what the future is. I know what every partner has read. I get the same press. I read the same posts from Hock [Tan, Broadcom CEO] and our leadership team. But here’s what I believe, and here’s what I’m taking from everything I’m seeing: I firmly believe partners will be a critical area for us, with or without Broadcom. I don’t believe that changes and I don’t believe I would be sitting here today if I thought it did. I believe that partners have spent years investing with us. I encourage partners to see those investments through, and work with the information we all have. All I can do is be transparent, open and honest with what I know. I will always do that and I will always be the advocate with or without Broadcom. … I do believe that partners will be even more important as we move forward.
CF: What about types of partners you’re looking to work with? Is there a new definition of partner out there that you would like to bring into the fold or an expanded definition of one?
TF: We work with all partner types. Strategic partners are the ones … that will be critical as we move forward. I think it’s about figuring out how to work with all of the different types individually. … That’s something that we continue to work on.
CF: You talked about your vision and your philosophy. We went deep into the deal-reg topic. Are there any changes that you are implementing or planning to implement that you can talk about?
TF: There’s no change, per se, that’s imminent. But there are a couple of focus areas we’re looking at. We really need to simplify not just our deal reg but even internally. … It’s not a change, but it’s something that I think creating clarity and simplification around internally is going to be a game-changer in terms of the way we partner with our different organizations across the VMware sales team.
CF: What kinds of simplification internally? Can you give some examples?
TF: I think, No. 1, what does good partnering look like? How do we keep that very simple for a sales organization? There’s also early engagement with partners, not bringing them in at the last minute, and educating [field teams] on our partner programs so they understand the impact of our partners. … I’m not convinced that that exists today, educating them on our programs.
CF: What did you mean by the behavior? Are you talking again about that internal sales team versus the partner?
TF: Exactly. When is the right time to engage the partner? Are there benefits to engaging early? What are the consequences to engaging early or not engaging early, and making that real and meaningful for not just our partners, but who all live it every day? Ensuring our sales teams are also vested in that outcome, and understanding the value in it. … It’s my passion.
I feel really strongly about it. I think I’ve been quite successful at it.
CF: I’d like to go back to what you said about having your sights set on this role from Day 1, essentially. What is it about this role that draws you and and gave you the patience to wait for it?
TF: I am a huge advocate, and incredibly passionate, and get my satisfaction out of watching people get to their potential. … And for me, this role is different than the Canada role, not just because it’s larger … [but also because] it is a platform for the company. I think it provides me an opportunity to take what I’ve learned … and be the advocate at a company level. I have the energy and the stamina to do that, and I think I can make a difference, and that’s why I kind of set my sights on it. Six years ago I knew that’s what I wanted to go do and I also knew that there was a learning process. … So that’s why I wasn’t impatient, so to speak; I just saw the benefit to the timing. I think there’s no better time for me to actually have taken on this role than today, for many reasons. But certainly those times of uncertainty that we talked about are a big one. I think that teams need someone they can depend on … someone who has been here for a number of years and who understands the challenges and someone who’s committed to seeing this through.
CF: I appreciate you elaborating on that. And, of course, the question that comes to mind and I have to ask is, does this indicate that you might have your sights set on the global channel chief role?
TF: So I will tell you, the answer is no, at this time. I think it’s a different role, and I have spent the last 25 years in a sales organization. I can’t imagine not being part of a sales organization, and so I’m not sure what’s next. All I know is, I’ve got a huge opportunity and a huge platform to make a difference to our partners, to our company, and to the community as a whole, especially around diversity. I’ve been given a lot of opportunities in my career. I’ve also worked hard for them, and I know that I needed great role models in order to believe anything was possible. And so that is a role that I take very, very, very seriously.
CF: Would you talk more about the diversity efforts you’re intending?
TF: Diversity, equity and inclusion is something I have always had a lot of passion around, and as someone who has grown up in the tech community, it’s not an area that I felt has held me back. I have never felt that being a woman has held me back. But that being said, I also believe that we are not where we need to be in term of our representation. Having diverse teams, the criticality of that in terms of business success, is not debatable. There’s enough data to prove that companies with diverse teams do better. … And while we might be talking about gender and color, I also think diversity comes from different experiences and different thought processes. So I want to be clear that when I say diversity, it’s not just about gender, it’s about the whole package. I was certainly honored by being selected to help on the … diversity, equity and inclusion council for the Americas at VMware … when it launched just a few years ago. … I feel really good about our ability to continue to drive the momentum there, because I think we have made significant improvements in the last six years at VMware.
CF: As you are taking on this role, and multicloud is the driver for VMware, what are your thoughts on the kinds of cloud adoption partners might drive, in, say, 2023?
TF: When I think about multicloud, and where we’re going, I couldn’t have imagined a more important role for our partners around consumption. … The partner value, I think, couldn’t be more clear if we can help our partners go deliver that.
CF: As you are taking on this role, and multicloud is the driver for VMware, what are your thoughts on the kinds of cloud adoption partners might drive, in, say, 2023?
TF: When I think about multicloud, and where we’re going, I couldn’t have imagined a more important role for our partners around consumption. … The partner value, I think, couldn’t be more clear if we can help our partners go deliver that.
The VMware Americas Partner Organization has a new leader. The multicloud provider recently named Tara Fine as vice president of the division, succeeding Bill Swales, who moved to Lenovo.
VMware’s Tara Fine
Fine, who moves up from VMware Canada, now holds responsibility for the entire partner ecosystem within that group. Those partner types include system integrators, distributors, value-added resellers, alliances and OEMs.
Here’s our list of channel people on the move in October. |
Before taking on the new VMware Americas partner role, Fine served for six years as senior director for channels for VMware Canada. Prior to that, she spent more than 19 years at Dell Technologies, where she rounded out her career there as director of global commercial channels for North America.
As the new head of VMware Americas Partner Organization, Fine also brings to the position her continued efforts on VMware’s diversity council. We go into that a bit in this interview. We also ask her about the pending, $61 billion Broadcom acquisition and how she’s talking with partners about the impact of that deal. Here’s a preview: “I do believe that partners will be even more important as we move forward.”
See the slideshow above to read Channel Futures’ conversation with Fine. We have lightly edited the transcript for clarity.
Want to contact the author directly about this story? Have ideas for a follow-up article? Email Kelly Teal or connect with her on LinkedIn. |
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