Nextiva Names Former Windstream, Aryaka Exec New Channel Leader

Nextiva has named industry veteran Olen Scott its new channel leader. Scott brings 25 years of experience to the job.

Most recently Scott was chief revenue officer at Stored Energy Systems, a power systems company specializing in data center infrastructure. Prior to that role, he held leadership and channel positions at Aryaka Networks, Purple and Windstream.

Nextiva’s Olen Scott

“I’m an ardent believer that there is no more effective way to bring cloud technologies to market than channels,” Scott said. “Nextiva’s commitment to the channel struck me as second to none I’ve seen. The Nextiva leadership team places significant emphasis on the partner ecosystem, experience and success. That’s what a channel leader wants to see.”

Channel Vision

In a previous interview with Channel Futures, Scott reflected on his time as a channel leader in earlier roles.

“I’ve learned something from every job I’ve had, and I’ve enjoyed my time at every single one of them,” he said. “You know who’s educated me the most? It’s the partners. I’d led big sales organizations, but my first [channel leadership role] wasn’t until 2016. I reached out then to all of the godfathers of the space. The Rick Dellars [of Intelisys], the Adam Edwards [of Telarus] — that whole crew. They guided me. So I reached out, and I do it today. That’s one of the things we are doing that [I’ve] had at all of these other places: partner advisory councils. I always seek to have 12-20 leaders from different partners that will huddle with me every year and just tell me what they love about the program and what we need to change about the program. It’s not rocket science. If you listen to the partners, their suggestions will almost always be fair and equitable, and you can build a great program.”

He added: “The lesson I’ve learned over the last few years is: My teachers then and my teachers now are the partners.”

Outside Opinions

Executives outside of Nextiva also shared their opinion about Scott’s selection.

Adam Edwards is CEO of Telarus.

Telarus’ Adam Edwards

“Telarus has always taken pride in partnering with channel-centric companies such as Nextiva. Today’s hire of Olen Scott underscores the focus on their partner ecosystem,” Edwards said. “The team at Telarus has been fortunate to partner with Olen in former positions. His proven channel leadership and dedication to partner success is truly impressive. We look forward to seeing Olen’s impact and investment into the channel and the growth of Nextiva’s channel strategy.”

Ali Niroo is managing partner at BridgePointe Technologies. Niroo said Scott’s appointment means Nextiva has gained a proven channel leader.

“This hire clearly signals Nextiva’s commitment to the success of their channel and to working with partners to build the future of business communications and productivity,” he said.