VARBusiness Names Microsoft's Allison Watson As Channel Executive of the Year

As head of Microsoft's vast channel, not much surprises Allison Watson -- except maybe being named VARBusiness' Channel Executive of the Year at the Annual Report Card (ARC) awards event in Chicago this week.

Watson, vice president of worldwide partner sales and marketing at Microsoft, was honored at the ARC event for her role in strengthening Microsoft's sizeable partner core, surely one of the largest -- if not the largest -- channels in the industry. VARBusiness editorial director Robert DeMarzo told hundreds of solution provider and vendor attendees in the audience that Watson has raised profitability levels for many partners while tackling many of the sprawling issues that typically surround the biggest software company in the world. CMP Channel Group president Robert Faletra called Watson a "true channel leader" who was setting the standard for the rest of the industry.

The surprised Watson admitted she was nervous in her acceptance remarks but used the opportunity to thank many people, including Microsoft partners and her parents.

"This means an incredible amount to me," she told the audience. "I want to thank the channel partners that made this possible."

Watson also said she was extremely excited about the future of Microsoft's channel. At Microsoft's recent Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto, Watson told partners during her keynote speech that the software giant will invest nearly $2 billion in its channel this year, which includes such effort as the Microsoft Partner Learning Center and the Microsoft Partner Portal.

"We'll have a total of $1.7 billion of investment to take cost out of your business and to drive up revenue," Watson said during her keynote.

Watson joined Microsoft in 1993 after holding several sales and consulting positions in health care, manufacturing and high-tech industries. Prior to running the software giant's channel, she was chief of staff for the senior vice president of Microsoft Americas. She also served for three years as general manager of the Washington, D.C.- based mid-Atlantic district directing the sales, marketing and consulting teams, where she led her team to top results in customer and partner satisfaction and revenue growth. Before her tenure as general manager, she spent seven years in the mid-Atlantic sales district and on the East Region leadership teams in a variety of leadership roles. Watson is credited with helping define Microsoft's U.S. strategy around integrated partner marketing and selling as well as partner development.

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