10 IT Solution Provider CEOs On Their Top Priorities For 2023
CEOs from Insight, Continental Resources, GreenPages, World Wide Technology, SPR, Optiv, Denali Advanced Integration, CoreBTS, Conduent Incorporated and Avanade explain their top priorities in 2023.
Ten CEOs from large solutions providers told CRN where their top priorities are in 2023 and how they plan to execute those priorities this year and beyond.
From furthering their reach as a trusted partner, continued expansion or doubling down on company culture, solution providers weighed in on what’s meaningful and important to them and their company in 2023.
For Joyce Mullen, CEO of Chandler, Arizona-based Insight Enterprises, her priority is clear.
“Our ambition is to become the leading global solutions integrator, accelerating transformation for our clients by unlocking the power of people and technology,” Mullen said. “We’re focused on being a trusted partner who can make the complex simple for them and propel their business forward. Earning and maintaining their loyalty often amounts to solving problems that they can’t even articulate and delivering a differentiated digital experience.”
Meeting expectations is table stakes, she said, as clients look for partners who go beyond that.
Solution provider CEOs, and vendor CEOs, were asked to complete the statement, “My top priority for 2023 is:” for CRN’s 2023 CEO Outlook special report.
For Ron Dupler, CEO of Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based GreenPages, his priorities consist of three things: continued execution across clients and key strategic initiatives, creating business value for their entire ecosystem and ensuring their offerings are aligned with market requirements to help them succeed and continue their growth.
Here are the responses regarding top 2023 priorities from solution provider CEOs, including Insight CEO Joyce Mullen; Continental Resources CEO Mary Nardella; GreenPages CEO Ron Dupler; World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh; SPR CEO Rob Figliulo; Optiv CEO Kevin Lynch; Denali Advanced Integration CEO Robert Vrij; CoreBTS CEO Kevin Thimjon; Conduent Incorporated CEO Cliff Skelton; and Avanade CEO Pamela Maynard.
Avanade
CEO: Pamela Maynard
Top 2023 Priority: Helping Clients Navigate Towards The Future
Maynard is focusing on helping Avanade’s clients and its workforce navigate what‘s next.
“No matter where you look, we’re in turbulent times,” Maynard said. “Economic uncertainty, inflation, geopolitical conflicts and an ongoing pandemic have put new pressures on organizations and the people who work for them. Avanade is no exception.”
She said technology is critical if businesses want to thrive amid uncertainty and disruption.
“We’re here to help our clients ensure they use their ongoing technology investments to continue to do what matters to them while also containing costs and being more efficient,” she said. “And we’re prioritizing the well-being of our people, embracing flexible working, bolstering mental health resources, accelerating progress around inclusion and diversity and building a growth mindset so they are empowered to thrive with change.”
Conduent Incorporated
CEO: Cliff Skelton
Top 2023 Priority: To Further Their Strategic Partnership
“While the environment and our clients‘ needs are different from a year ago, our mission remains the same, to further strengthen Conduent’s position as the strategic partner that clients choose to solve their mission-critical challenges with the most effective technology-led solutions,” Skelton said.
He said with the strong foundation that Conduent has built over the past three years, the company plans to continue its momentum in 2023 to drive growth through value-creation for new and existing clients.
Continental Resources (ConRes)
CEO: Mary Nardella
Top 2023 Priority: Continued Expansion Of Services
Continental Resources CEO Mary Nardella said building off the company’s success from 2022 and the continued expansion of its cloud offerings, the company will continue to focus on expanding services and consumption models such as managed services, workplace transformation, security and cloud services.
“In addition, our goal year after year is to empower our employees and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction, meeting or exceeding our existing rating of 98 percent,” she said.
CoreBTS
CEO: Kevin Thimjon
Top 2023 Priority: Learning More About Customer Challenges
Thimjon’s 2023 priority is to spend as much time as possible with their clients to listen and learn about their challenges and position Core BTS as a trusted advisor and partner who can solve those challenges.
“[We want to] ensure that we are in the best position to do this, developing and retaining our team members will be my number one priority,” he said.
Denali Advanced Integration
CEO: Robert Vrij
Top 2023 Priority: Operational Efficiency
“We are approaching 2023 with a strong team, dedication to our customers, strategic partnerships and commitment to our communities,” Vrij said.
He said it is essential that the company stay focused so that it can deliver the value supporting all of its priority audiences.
“To that end, we will continue to focus on driving operational efficiency and delivering innovation designed to deliver value to our customers and eco-systems,” he said.
GreenPages
CEO: Ron Dupler
Top 2023 Priority: Execution, Business Value And Offerings
Dupler said his top 2023 priorities consist of three things: continued execution across clients and key strategic initiatives, creating business value for their entire ecosystem and ensuring their offerings are aligned with market requirements to help them succeed and continue their growth.
Insight Enterprises
CEO: Joyce Mullen
T op 2023 Priority: Unlocking The Power Of People And Technology
“Insight‘s top priority for 2023 is very clear: Our ambition is to become the leading global solutions integrator, accelerating transformation for our clients by unlocking the power of people and technology,” Mullen said.
Insight is focused on being a trusted partner who can make the complex simple for them and propel their business forward, she added.
“Earning and maintaining their loyalty often amounts to solving problems that they can‘t even articulate and delivering a differentiated digital experience,” she said. “Meeting expectations is table stakes; clients are looking for partners who go beyond that. I’m excited to continue moving that mission forward this year.
Optiv
CEO: Kevin Lynch
Top 2023 Priority: Scale
“As the largest pure-play security solutions provider in the world, we will continue to scale in 2023,” Lynch said. “While we don‘t see the economic environment changing a whole lot, at least in the first half, Optiv is still in a place to expand the business through ideal growth opportunities.”
SPR
CEO: Rob Figliulo
Top 2023 Priority: Building A Successful Culture
“It‘s now, always has been and always will be culture,” Figliulo said. “You have to build a culture that’s successful for your employees to thrive in as well as for your customers to succeed in.”
He said at SPR, skills training is a large part of their culture as it boosts employee morale and helps them grow professionally as technologists.
“It might sound simplistic, but it’s integral to propelling the business forward and delivering on your word,” he said.
World Wide Technology
CEO: Jim Kavanaugh
Top 2023 Priority: Culture
“Over the years we have made significant investments in our business, but none as important as the investments we have made in our people, culture and leadership,” Kavanaugh said. “And as we move forward, to ensure that we continue to deliver on world-class solutions for our customers and create a positive impact for our communities, we will continue to support our WWT employees and focus on building a great place to work for all.”