New To The Scene
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Part firefighter, part diplomat. Our annual special report on the industry's top Channel Chiefs illuminates why the best vendor channel execs work for every penny they earn
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From Acer to Xerox, we have the stats on 50 top Channel Chiefs who are influencing your day-to-day existence. If you're thinking about teaming with one of these vendors, here's where to start.
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It's a small world, and these 10 Worldwide Agenda-Setters are aiming to make it smaller with worldwide programs that impact the U.S. market -- and beyond.
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Strategy from freshman execs at Cisco, Intel, Lexmark, Samsung, SonicWall and Toshiba.
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Wondering whether that vendor services division is friend or foe? These managers from Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft aim to solve that debate for good.
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They may not be on the "Big List," but we're watching these channel executives closely in 2006..
SHARON BRINDLEY, Lexmark International
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Simplicity and services. That double-sided mantra will define Sharon Brindley&'s early priorities in her role as vice president of U.S. channels at Lexmark International.
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As with Lexmark&'s rivals in the world of printers and multifunction devices, Brindley&'s team has zeroed in on crafting managed services that propose to elevate the potential margins associated with selling her company&'s products. One example: an assessment service unfurled in December called Document Needs Assessment that VARs can use to evaluate their customers&' print-related production costs and plot a consolidation strategy.
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Don&'t look for Brindley to suggest change for the sake of change. She&'s interested in engaging more deeply with existing partners and providing them with broader access to business planning and marketing resources plus services to help solution providers assess opportunities and price them competitively—while still making money. “I feel like we have a great relationship with our existing partners. … The relationships I&'ve been exposed to so far are terrific,” she said.
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Brindley has been with the Lexington, Ky.-based company since its founding in 1991. Prior to assuming her new title early this year, she led Lexmark&'s public-sector, health-care and education segments, which grew 20 percent under her direction.
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Mike Hicks, president of Electronic Business Machines, a solution provider in Lexington, admits he was nervous several years ago when Lexmark moved his company from a high-touch direct relationship to one involving distribution because it was a strategy not typically used by his manufacturer suppliers in the copier and business equipment market. But Hicks has been pleased with his ability to craft solution messages based on Lexmark technology, and he&'s happy with the contact he&'s had with members of Lexmark&'s value-added partner team, including John Linton, vice president of solution provider channels, and Paul Merritt, director of U.S. business channels.
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Hicks actually met Brindley for the first time as interviews for this report were being conducted. “She seemed very sincere and committed to driving business through the channel. … I have a very good feeling about Sharon and will continue to make Lexmark my lead product on multifunction printers 55 [pages per minute] and less,” he said.
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You can expect Brindley to keep a close watch on whether he keeps that vow, as she&'s already self-grading her on-the-job performance barely two months into the role.
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“My clock is already ticking,” she said.
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Part firefighter, part diplomat. Our annual special report on the industry's top Channel Chiefs illuminates why the best vendor channel execs work for every penny they earn
\
\
•
\
From Acer to Xerox, we have the stats on 50 top Channel Chiefs who are influencing your day-to-day existence. If you're thinking about teaming with one of these vendors, here's where to start.
\
\
•
\
It's a small world, and these 10 Worldwide Agenda-Setters are aiming to make it smaller with worldwide programs that impact the U.S. market -- and beyond.
\
\
•
\
Strategy from freshman execs at Cisco, Intel, Lexmark, Samsung, SonicWall and Toshiba.
\
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•
\
Wondering whether that vendor services division is friend or foe? These managers from Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft aim to solve that debate for good.
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They may not be on the "Big List," but we're watching these channel executives closely in 2006..
JOHN DILULLO, SonicWall
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Former Cisco Systems executive John DiLullo describes his new employer&'s partner recruitment plans as “aggressive and inclusive.”
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As the recently tapped vice president of worldwide sales at security vendor SonicWall, DiLullo represents the smallest company on our Worldwide Agenda-Setters list. But his previous work at Cisco and the 100 percent-channel dedication of Sunnyvale, Calif.-based SonicWall were solid arguments in his favor. Even as this project was going to press, SonicWall upped the ante with its $31 million cash offer for antispam/antiphishing leader MailFrontier.
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Just days into the job, DiLullo said one key priority will be to encourage development of “purpose-built products that are not dumbed-down versions of enterprise solutions. We view the channel as an extension of the customer&'s IT department, and we build the products with that in mind,” he said.
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Ken Lamneck, president of the Americas at distributor Tech Data, who worked with DiLullo in his previous role at Cisco, said this channel chief is supportive and engaged with his channel partners. “He&'s a smart individual who understands the nuances necessary to be effective,” he said.
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But Lamneck said DiLullo also is a hawk when it comes to tracking results and will hold both channel partners and his own team accountable for progress—or lack thereof.
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In short, you can look for DiLullo to advocate informed decisiveness over lengthy deliberation when it comes to SonicWall program changes. “When I was an engineer, I learned that wasted motions are really costly; knowing what you are working toward is vital,” he said.
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Part firefighter, part diplomat. Our annual special report on the industry's top Channel Chiefs illuminates why the best vendor channel execs work for every penny they earn
\
\
•
\
From Acer to Xerox, we have the stats on 50 top Channel Chiefs who are influencing your day-to-day existence. If you're thinking about teaming with one of these vendors, here's where to start.
\
\
•
\
It's a small world, and these 10 Worldwide Agenda-Setters are aiming to make it smaller with worldwide programs that impact the U.S. market -- and beyond.
\
\
•
\
Strategy from freshman execs at Cisco, Intel, Lexmark, Samsung, SonicWall and Toshiba.
\
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•
\
Wondering whether that vendor services division is friend or foe? These managers from Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft aim to solve that debate for good.
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They may not be on the "Big List," but we're watching these channel executives closely in 2006..
KEITH GOODWIN,
Cisco Systems
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As the former leader of one of Cisco&'s geographic sales regions, Keith Goodwin was on the receiving end of many a channel program. He plans to use that first-hand experience in his new role as senior vice president, worldwide channels, to develop broad strategies that can be tuned easily for local markets. “In the first six months in the role, I&'ve made a real effort to get out and about in the world. One of the things that surprised me a bit was the lack of consistency that we&'ve had in rolling out the strategies in the world. We tend to look around the [United States] and assume it&'s that way around the world,” Goodwin said.
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One example, he said, was the slow ramp for Cisco&'s Value Incentive Program, which rewards solution providers for evangelizing VoIP and security and for maintaining exceptional customer-satisfaction levels. That&'s one reason Goodwin feels Cisco&'s restructuring last summer, which more closely aligns the geographic channel leaders with the worldwide channel chief as well as with their respective geographic sales executives, was the right move. “You need the balance of both,” he said.
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At the top of Goodwin&'s priority list for 2006 are accelerating partner growth, looking for ways to encourage more investment on the part of the channel in advanced technologies and continuing to drive into small and midsize businesses, accounts that Cisco designates as part of its commercial effort. It&'s safe to say you will continue to see the vendor dangle more margin carrots that encourage solution providers to continue evolving their business into various advanced disciplines.
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“I think [Goodwin] is sincerely interested in what&'s going on in the channel. He seems very sincere about continuing the focus that Cisco has had for some time on profitability,” said Jim Kavanaugh, CEO of Worldwide Technology, a St. Louis-based network integrator with annual revenue of about $1.8 billion. “I see him being a fairly quiet, but focused guy.”
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On stage next month at Cisco&'s partner conference, you can expect an update from Goodwin on how Cisco is addressing suggestions from partners about how to make it easier for them to engage with the mammoth networking giant. Just don&'t expect to hear him sing karaoke, like his predecessor, Paul Mountford.
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Part firefighter, part diplomat. Our annual special report on the industry's top Channel Chiefs illuminates why the best vendor channel execs work for every penny they earn
\
\
•
\
From Acer to Xerox, we have the stats on 50 top Channel Chiefs who are influencing your day-to-day existence. If you're thinking about teaming with one of these vendors, here's where to start.
\
\
•
\
It's a small world, and these 10 Worldwide Agenda-Setters are aiming to make it smaller with worldwide programs that impact the U.S. market -- and beyond.
\
\
•
\
Strategy from freshman execs at Cisco, Intel, Lexmark, Samsung, SonicWall and Toshiba.
\
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•
\
Wondering whether that vendor services division is friend or foe? These managers from Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft aim to solve that debate for good.
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They may not be on the "Big List," but we're watching these channel executives closely in 2006..
JOHN JOHASKY,
Samsung Information Technology Division
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John Johasky believes success with partners comes from total channel commitment, top to bottom.
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It&'s a lesson he learned in a previous role as president of Lexmark Canada, where he had profit-and-loss responsibility for four divisions and focused on making sure all internal resources were aligned to support the company&'s partners.
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“[Success] comes from commitment to the channel, effective leadership and ensuring that we have internal alignment within our own organization,” Johasky said.
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Although his Samsung division&'s overall strategy remains the same for 2006, one key theme for Samsung Information&'s vice president of marketing is encouraging specialization among the Irvine, Calif.-based vendor&'s 14,000-strong partner corps. Two key solution areas: vertical applications for its SyncMaster displays (the 930BF model last December was named a CRN Test Center product of the year) and managed services around its printer line. A realignment of the Samsung sales team to provide more coverage for VARs should help aid this mission, Johasky said. Like many other vendor channel executives, Johasky also is touting improvements to his company&'s partner portal that consolidate various operational and sales functions.
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Dan Schneider, senior vice president of product solutions at Sarcom, a $350 million VAR in Columbus, Ohio, that sells Samsung displays and multifunction printers, said the vendor has helped his company find true value in what some resellers consider to be a commodity market. “John and Samsung are approaching things a little more strategically,” Schneider said. “In particular, the way they&'re looking at how they develop the products and how they spend market development funds around the product seems to be unique.”
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•
\
Part firefighter, part diplomat. Our annual special report on the industry's top Channel Chiefs illuminates why the best vendor channel execs work for every penny they earn
\
\
•
\
From Acer to Xerox, we have the stats on 50 top Channel Chiefs who are influencing your day-to-day existence. If you're thinking about teaming with one of these vendors, here's where to start.
\
\
•
\
It's a small world, and these 10 Worldwide Agenda-Setters are aiming to make it smaller with worldwide programs that impact the U.S. market -- and beyond.
\
\
•
\
Strategy from freshman execs at Cisco, Intel, Lexmark, Samsung, SonicWall and Toshiba.
\
\
•
\
Wondering whether that vendor services division is friend or foe? These managers from Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft aim to solve that debate for good.
\
\
•
\
They may not be on the "Big List," but we're watching these channel executives closely in 2006..
JERRY LUMPKIN, Toshiba Digital Products Division
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Jerry Lumpkin has a simple aspiration: to see his division match and surpass sales growth rates for the notebook market in aggregate. More important, Lumpkin is hoping for significant growth from Toshiba&'s strategic channel partners.
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Since joining the Toshiba Digital Products Division last fall as vice president of business channel sales, Lumpkin has hit the road to meet with more than 60 different resellers face to face, some of whom he met during his previous roles at Ingram Micro and Synnex.
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“We need to get the message out that we&'re re-embracing the channel,” he said.
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Lumpkin already has moved quickly on his end to provide solution providers with specific reasons to trust his commitment to the value-added side of the vendor&'s partner strategy. In early December, the Irvine, Calif.-based company unveiled the EasyBuy initiative, under which it is offering certain limited configurations at set prices for the channel, and last month, Lumpkin said he&'s working on boosting compensation for certified service providers although a final decision hadn&'t been made when we spoke.
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Bob Venero, president and CEO of Future Tech Enterprise, a Holbrook, N.Y.-based solution provider with a substantial mobility practice, said he wanted very little to do with Toshiba until last year. But Lumpkin has been open to his ideas and has acted on more than one, he said.
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“In the past, from a Toshiba perspective, we did not have a good relationship with them at all,” Venero said. “Until I met and started working with Jerry, Toshiba was done in this building.”
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Today, not only are Toshiba notebooks a fixture in Future Tech&'s prominent emerging technology demonstration center, but they are updated proactively every time there&'s a change to the line.
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“It&'s a different world,” Venero said.
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•
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Part firefighter, part diplomat. Our annual special report on the industry's top Channel Chiefs illuminates why the best vendor channel execs work for every penny they earn
\
\
•
\
From Acer to Xerox, we have the stats on 50 top Channel Chiefs who are influencing your day-to-day existence. If you're thinking about teaming with one of these vendors, here's where to start.
\
\
•
\
It's a small world, and these 10 Worldwide Agenda-Setters are aiming to make it smaller with worldwide programs that impact the U.S. market -- and beyond.
\
\
•
\
Strategy from freshman execs at Cisco, Intel, Lexmark, Samsung, SonicWall and Toshiba.
\
\
•
\
Wondering whether that vendor services division is friend or foe? These managers from Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft aim to solve that debate for good.
\
\
•
\
They may not be on the "Big List," but we're watching these channel executives closely in 2006..
WILLIAM SIU, Intel
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The success of its Centrino mobile platform helped spur Intel&'s strategic realignment around the notion that technology architectures and not just the whizziest new processor will drive its growth in the future. And last year, realizing that its channel offers the best connection to customer insight, it tapped a 25-year veteran to hone in on how these platforms should be expressed in local and vertical markets around the globe.
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William Siu is certainly racking up the frequent-flier miles in his new role as corporate vice president and general manager of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel&'s Worldwide Channel Platforms Group. In the past 12 months, he participated in the launch of the i-Caf platform, a solution that was designed for Internet cafs in China, but that now can be modified for other markets. He also is working with the governments in various emerging economies to accelerate adoption of PC technology, and last year his group set up platform definition centers in Bangalore, India; Cairo, Egypt; Shanghai, China; and Sao Paolo, Brazil.
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“Before I took this job, I was aware of the channel and its importance to Intel. Nevertheless, this job drove home for me how extensive and how international the channel really is,” wrote Siu in response to questions e-mailed to him for this Channel Chiefs story. “Most impressive to me has been the high level of competence and passion our channel customers continue to exhibit. It is their business, and they are committed to it.”
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Chris Thorsen, vice president of product development at Oconomowoc, Wis.-based Paragon Development Systems, an Intel Premier Provider and member of the chip maker&'s board of advisers, said despite the global nature of Siu&'s job, he is very approachable and clearly excited about his work in refining Intel&'s channel profile.
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“Intel is certainly known as a listening organization,” Thorsen said. “Siu brings clarity to that feedback. His challenge is that change does not come easy.”