Verizon's Janet Schijns: Evolving in the Face of the 'Millennial Revolution'

The millennial revolution has arrived.

That’s the warning from Janet Schijns, who says partner businesses need to proactively transform to meet the needs of the current day.

Verizon’s vice president of global channels will elaborate at Channel Partners Evolution, Aug. 14-17, in Washington, D.C.

Channel Partners caught up with Schijns, who transitioned from her position as chief marketing technologist earlier this year, for a quick Q&A on her keynote, “So You Think You Have Time? Your 18-Month Business Plan for Success”

The interview transcript has been edited for clarity.

Channel Partners: What challenge or need are you trying to address with your keynote?

Janet Schijns: There is a critical need right now for digital and technology transformation across enterprises and medium business. Much of this is being created by the mass entrance of millennials into the workplace while the baby boomers simultaneously exit. The challenges for most firms are, change or perish — this is especially true for the partner ecosystem. In my keynote I want to educate the audience on the challenge and provide a road map for their businesses to profit from this transformation working with Verizon.{ad}

CP: Why should business owners take the “millennial revolution” seriously?

JS: The Millennial generation is here — and they are here to stay. They are bringing innovations to the market in a way that creates a new competitive playing field. Technology that is SDN-enabled is challenging the old-fashioned definitions of technology and customer experience and, as a result, creating a revolution against the old norms while building more productive delivery models. Enterprises are working hard to get on board to create a better digital experience. This millennial revolution represents the best opportunity in a decade for partners to evolve their business to serve these digitally savvy firms.

CP: What do you hope your audience will take away from your talk?

JS: Partners are the key to success in the digital transformation. They have the technology expertise, customer-experience insights and services that help their customers transform. They should understand and embrace …

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… the millennial impact on our industry and their business and create a plan to profit from it. We will offer a hands-on demonstration in our booth (E28) after my keynote that will enable our partners to pick their best path forward and create a plan with our team of experts.

CP: How have your first several months at the helm of Verizon’s channel efforts gone? What do you hope to accomplish in the upcoming months?

JS: It has been fantastic. We have the best program, best partners and best team in the business — and so the first 100 days have been quite simply a blast. Three things I have noticed are: Our partners are focusing up the stack on more complex solutions that offer them the ability to make higher profits; our partners are taking the complex and making it simple for their customers, which is earning them more business; and SDN is changing the very fabric of our industry, and the channel is front and center in that evolution.

CP: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

JS: The problem is you think you have time – that’s my pitch this year. The time to change is now!