Flashpoint Targets Former IBM Exec to Lead Global Channel

**Editor’s Note: Click here to see which channel people were on the move in March.**

Flashpoint has hired former IBM channel executive Jeff Seifert as its new global channel chief, charged with leading the design and execution of sales and marketing strategies of the company’s global channel program.

Flashpoint’s Jeff Seifert

Flashpoint launched the program last year and has more than 60 resellers worldwide. It’s focused on helping partners make more money by “empowering their customers with a decision advantage over threats and adversaries,” the company said.

Seifert tells Channel Partners he joined Flashpoint because of its “unique position in the market delivering business risk intelligence (BRI), the caliber of the executive team, people, and company culture, and the value that BRI can bring to partners in helping them grow their own businesses.”

“The Flashpoint channel has achieved solid success in its 2017 breakout year, having contributed significantly to the overall business,” he said. “We are in (a) strong position to take the channel business to the next level of maturity and work even more strategically with our partners. My team is focused on maturing the (partner program) by fueling it with world-class programs that help business partners solve customer challenges, whether it be cybersecurity, third-party risk, fraud, insider threat, executive and physical protection, or a myriad other use cases. We plan to aggressively develop our international channel ecosystem to meet market demands for BRI.”

Prior to Flashpoint, Seifert launched and grew channel portfolios for more than a decade at IBM. He is known for driving rapid market and geographic expansion through innovative sales and alliance strategies, according to Flashpoint.

Seifert’s background also includes establishing strategic partner sales for several startups, including Bowstreet and Allaire, which were acquired by IBM and Adobe/Macromedia, respectively.

“My background building channels and alliances with young companies, as well as scaling global partnerships with IBM, lines up directly with Flashpoint’s strategic imperatives to grow the business, and exceed the demands of making our customers successful,” he said. “A year from now, we plan to have the Flashpoint business partner channel well established domestically and internationally, operating with an even higher degree of efficiency and value to partners and customers. I expect that we will also grow our channel sales team, establishing regional leadership to ensure expertise that supports our global partner ecosystem. We expect our unique BRI offerings to continue driving growth and a strategic advantage to business partners across the globe.”

Flashpoint has been on an “incredible growth path and our partners are a force multiplier that drive us even higher,” said Josh Lefkowitz, the company’s CEO and co-founder.

“To maximize our investment, and our partners’ success, we needed a strong leader who had ‘been there before’,” he said. “Jeff’s background, experience and vision are exactly the mix we were looking for, and I could not be more excited to work with him and his team to accelerate the program.”

You also can read our ‘7 Minutes’ feature with Lefkowitz.