What It Takes

Get to know the channel executives that run the top 50 companies on the VARBusiness 500 list. Many are quoted exclusively by VARBusiness. Some offer personal viewpoints. Still others reveal the challenges they're tackling. Individually or collectively, these execs provide you with compelling insights into what it takes to run and grow North America's most influential solution providers.

1- John R. Joyce
SVP & Group Exec, IBM Global Services
When the former IBM CFO took over the position held by Doug Elix, he inherited the mammoth responsibility of managing close to 190,000 employees while driving margins higher.

2- Michael Jordan
CEO, EDS
Jordan brings a wealth of experience as CBS CEO. Here's hoping it will help the challenged EDS. Earlier this year, Jordan predicted, "By the end of the year, there will be some acceleration of financial results."

3- Van B. Honeycutt
Chairman & CEO, CSC
"One of our clients restructuredthen entered a new market with an acquisition. He said, 'We never could have pulled that off without your help. Now I know what is meant by the strategic value of IT.'"

4- Ann Livermore
EVP of Technology Solutions Group, HP Svcs.
"In 2003, HP firmly established itself as a tier-one player in IT services. Its services agreement with Procter & Gamble represents the largest contract in HP's history."

5- Joe W. Forehand
Chairman & CEO, Accenture
Forehand has led Accenture through change and growth, including an IPO and rebranding campaign. On Sept. 1, Forehand will turn over the CEO reins to William D. Green.

6- Andrew Borgstrom
CEO, T-Systems
"The person I admire most is [Internet entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner] Mark Cuban. He has shown the world that passion, speed, creativity, risk-taking, intelligence and hard work transcend business models and industries."

7- Thomas McCausland
CEO, Siemens Medical Systems
McCausland heads the U.S. operations of Siemens AG, based in Munich, Germany. The integrator is extremely proud of the Siemens-orchestrated Heart Center of Indiana, the world's first all-digital heart hospital.

8- Arthur F. Weinbach
Chairman & CEO, ADP
"In the past three years, ADP has invested heavily in its World Class Service initiatives. It requires empowering associates with the ability to provide highly responsive client service. And it demands that we consistently do our jobs a lot better than anyone else."

9- Eduardo Menasce
President, Verizon Communications Enterprise Solutions
Menasce's responsibilities include oversight of all sales, marketing and service delivery for Verizon's largest business and government customers. Verizon was formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE.

10- Michael Camardo
EVP, Lockheed Martin Information & Tech Services
Camardo joined Lockheed Martin as a financial analyst with RCA Service Co. His move to EVP in 1999 coincided with the strategic realignment of the corporation. Previously, he was president of Lockheed Martin Technology Services Group.

11- John A. McKenna Jr.
CEO, Siemens Business Services
Prior to becoming CEO of Siemens Business Services, McKenna held the same position at Entex Information Services. He holds a seat on the Siemens Business Services North American Management Board.

12- Ken Dahlberg
Dahlberg was named CEO and president of SAIC in November 2003. Prior to joining SAIC, Dahlberg served as executive vice president of General Dynamics, where he was in charge of the Information Systems and Technology Group.

13- Lawrence A. Weinbach
Chairman & CEO, Unisys
"Unisys' biggest challenge is differentiating itself in a highly competitive IT services marketplace." The keys, Weinbach says, include marketing innovative, value-added offerings and effectively responding to pricing pressures.

14- Mark Ronald
President & CEO BAE Systems North America
The CEO holds the prestigious Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in recognition of the services he rendered to furthering closer trans-Atlantic cooperation in the U.S.-U.K. defense industries.

15- Herbert Anderson
Corporate VP & President, Northrop Grumman Information Technology
Retiring later this year, Anderson continues to drive Northrop Grumman's aggressive growth-by-acquisition strategy. His acumen was honed during an 18-year tenure at Digital Equipment.

16- John Edwardson
CEO, CDW
"My favorite part of the job is arriving to work every morning, and the energy I sense in the office, knowing that we're going to have another great day. Frankly, it's a challenge to call out something that's a pure chore. I even enjoy budget reviews."

17- Gary Cotshott
VP & GM, Dell Services
Dell may be climbing in market share and turning in record profits, but customer service, according to a March Consumer Reports article, is sorely lacking. Cotshott vows that the problem is being addressed and Dell will be on top soon.

18- Greg Brown
EVP, Motorola; CEO & President of Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector
Brown joined Motorola in January 2003 from Micromuse, where he was chairman and CEO. His 20 years of high-tech experience includes leadership positions in a variety of tech industries.

19- Jeff Rich
CEO, ACS
Under Rich's direction, ACS has grown to $4 billion in annual revenue, and employed 40,000 professionals in nearly 100 countries. Prior to joining ACS, Rich served as vice president of the Leverage Capital Group at Citibank N.A.

20- Clifford S. Holtz
EVP, Qwest
Holtz says that a key move for his company last year was "Qwest's re-entry into long-distance services because it allows us to offer our customers a true nationwide network of voice, video and data services."

21- Marissa Peterson
EVP of Network Svcs., Worldwide Operations and Chief Customer Advocate, Sun
"I joined Sun because it was disruptively innovating in the network computing spaceSun was the hot, cool company because of its reputation for innovation and ability to embrace a culture that was fun and open."

22- Paul Robinson
CEO, Deloitte Consulting
Robinson was named CEO last April. He was formerly global leader of the firm's public-sector practice. He also has served as regional managing director of the firm's Canadian practice, and managing director of the firm's Ottawa office.

23- Celine Azizkhan
President of Indirect Sales Channel, AT&T
Prior to her current position, Azizkhan was VP of business development at AT&T Business. For the past 20 years, Azizkhan has been involved in fundraising for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

24- Randolph C. Blazer
Chairman & CEO, BearingPoint
Favorite part of his job? Learning about clients and working with staff to help clients achieve their goals. Least favorite? "The travelAs CEO, you need to go where your people are and where your clients are. And that can be Dayton or Dubai."

25- Klaas Wagenaar
Chairman, Getronics
Wagenaar became chairman of Getronics in December 2003 after being appointed vice chairman in April 2003. Klaas, a Dutch national, started his career in auditing. His last audit assignment was with PricewaterhouseCoopers as audit manager.

26- Timothy Crown
President & CEO, Insight
"If I could pick any company to run, it would be Microsoft. They have billions of dollars to invest, both in technology and marketing. Their software offering allows them to truly control the industry, and I would love to be in that position!"

27- Lee Schram
Senior VP, NCR Svcs.
Schram has strengthened NCR's commitment to its channel partners and championed the development of a more channel-friendly solution portfolio. He assumed responsibility for the company's $714 million retail store automation business in March 2003.

28- Leslie M. Muma
President & CEO, Fiserv
Muma says he has had three major accomplishments in 2003: "Keeping our clients happy, keeping our employees motivated and engaged, and hitting our numbers for the 18th consecutive year."

29- Edward Whitacre Jr.
Chairman & CEO, SBC Data Communications
Whitacre has the urge to merge. He has led SBC through a series of M&As, including Pacific Telesis, SNET, Comcast Cellular and Ameritech. He also led SBC's expansion into wireless.

30- Gerard DeMuro
EVP, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems
DeMuro began his government-service career in 1977 and advanced through positions as a Department of Defense acquisition official. He became president of General Dynamics C4 Systems in January 2002.

31- Keith Block
EVP of North America, Oracle
Block is responsible for government, education, and health-care consulting. He is engaged in several strategic client relationships, leads a team of nearly 6,000 and has helped develop and deliver Oracle's managed-services initiative.

32- Charlie Fote
CEO, Concord EFS
Concord merged into First Data in January 2002, two months after Fote became CEO. He oversees First Data's payment services, merchant services and card-issuing services businesses, as well as Concord's e-transaction business.

33- Ralph W. Shrader
Chairman & CEO, Booz Allen Hamilton
Shrader created the Women's Advisory Board at Booz Allen. As chairman of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, he led efforts to improve opportunities for women and minorities in communications and electronics.

34- Bill McDermott
CEO & President, SAP America
McDermott loved the recent movie "Miracle," which chronicles the success of the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team. "It brought to life all the excitement of the time, the sense of teamwork, commitment and triumph of the underdog."

35- Chell Smith
CEO of the Americas, Cap Gemini
Although she can't imagine running any other company, Smith can imagine taking a leadership role in a nonprofit organization, such as the American Cancer Society. "But when I'm done, what I'd really like to do is be a math teacher."

36- Sam Gilliland
President & CEO, Sabre Holdings
Gilliland was elected to the board and named president and CEO in December 2003. Previously, he served in several senior leadership roles, including executive vice president of Sabre Holdings and president and CEO of Travelocity.

37- Michael Kohlsdorf
SVP of Enterprise Services, Ikon Enterprise Svcs.
Kohlsdorf last month was put in charge of professional services, outsourcing services and customer-service functions, which includes document-management solutions and services. He was previously vice president of professional services.

38- James Orr
President & CEO, Convergys
In 2003, Orr was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for outstanding citizenship, individual achievement and encouragement of cultural unity. Prior to coming to Convergys, Orr served as COPP and director of Cincinnati Bell.

39- Bryan J. Even
President, Raytheon Technical Services
Under his leadership, RTSC has achieved ISO 9000 registration at facilities across the United States and Canada, been assessed CMM Level 4 at EPS, and received nationally recognized customer quality awards.

40- Charles C. Miller III
EVP, Vice Chairman, Level 3
Miller joined Level 3 in November 2000 and has responsibility for strategy and corporate development. In April 2003, he became chairman for the Information Services Group, overseeing the operations of Software Spectrum and (i)Structure.

41- Serge Godin
Chairman & CEO, CGI Group
In 1976, 26-year-old Godin founded CGI as a two-person computer consulting company in Quebec City. CGI has grown to become Canada's largest independent IT consulting and business-process services company.

42- Dr. Gene W. Ray
President & CEO,
The Titan Group
Before launching Titan, Ray spent 11 years at SAIC. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Strategic Division for the U.S. Air Force. Ray's experience also included analyzing weapon systems programs and nuclear survivability.

43- Samuel L. Katz
Chairman & CEO, Cendant's Travel Distribution Services Division
Katz is responsible for the operations of the Jackson Hewitt tax-preparation franchise system; Progeny, a direct marketer of insurance programs; and the firm's relationship with discount marketer Trilegiant.

44- Derrell James
VP of Technology Consulting Group, EMC
James runs the services and consulting arm for EMC with more than 3,000 techies and consultants under his management. He joined EMC from Perot Systems, where he worked as VP of its global infrastructure services division.

45- Ross Perot Jr.
President & CEO, Perot Systems
In 1996, Perot became majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, although he sold equity interest in the team in April 2000. Perot Jr. was elected president and CEO of Perot Systems in August 2000 and serves on the board.

46- J. Edward Coleman
President & CEO, CompuCom
Coleman came to CompuCom from CSC, where he had focused on large-scale IT outsourcing. Prior to that, he spent 17 years at IBM, where he led the national sales force and directed its used-computer business.

47- patricia gallup
Chairman & CEO, PC Connection
Gallup co-founded PC Connection in 1982 with David Hall and just $8,000. She says her favorite movie is "Being John Malkovich" because in business it's important to understand what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes.

48- Ronald L. Turner
Chairman, President & CEO, Ceridian
Turner follows "five simple rules" to get Ceridian into first place in customer service in every market it serves: "1. Do the right thing. 2. Do it right the first time. 3. Do it fast. 4. Eliminate errors. 5. Learn every day."

49- David Langstaff
President & CEO, Veridian
In June 2002, Langstaff led Veridian's successful IPO; the company's stock has increased nearly 120 percent since then. Langstaff served as president and CEO of Veridian from 1995 to 2003, when it was acquired by General Dynamics.

50- John H. Hammergren
Chairman & CEO, McKesson
Hammergren's tenure at McKesson includes posts as president of supply-management and EVP for the pharmaceutical, medical-surgical, pharmacy-automation and pharmacy-outsourcing businesses of the company.