GTIA Puts Members At The Center Of Its Future: ‘You Are The Actual Story’

‘You’re no longer part of the story, you are the actual story,’ says Scott Barlow, GTIA board chair. ‘Every single person on the board is dedicated to helping you grow your business, improve your operational efficiency and take things to the next level.’

With a historic asset sale and a long-term investment strategy in place, the Global Technology Industry Association is building not just for the next chapter, but for the next generation of leaders.

The organization underwent a rebrand this year following the sale of the CompTIA name and its training and certification business, which now operates separately as a for-profit entity. GTIA remains a nonprofit, vendor-neutral membership organization dedicated to serving the IT channel worldwide, representing more than 2,000 organizations and tens of thousands of IT professionals.

GTIA board members took to the stage at the nonprofit’s ChannelCon event in Nashville, Tenn., last week to discuss aspects of the sale and how they’re leading the charge in community, resources and collaboration.

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Board member Tracy Pound, founder of Tamworth, England-based MSP Maximity Limited, said by 2024 CompTIA’s revenue had grown to $250 million. “That kind of growth … is massive and it comes with the need for serious change.”

Faced with the challenges of scaling a nonprofit organization while continuing to support its trade association roots, the board went to the table to re-evaluate how to sustain its mission without compromising on financial reality.

“We had a choice,” she said. “What were we going to do with an organization that needed to focus on revenue generation but still remain a not-for-profit? The sale generated an amount of money that will keep the association going essentially forever. We’ve been through a lot of change, and now we have such a huge opportunity to make a real difference in the world.”

Terms of the sale have not been disclosed.

“It was the best decision to sell those assets and give the trade association what it needs,” she added. “It means setting it free to achieve its goals.”

Board member John Scola, global vice president of software partners at SAP, said the mindset driving GTIA’s strategy is to “keep the party going as long as we possibly can, even after we’re gone, after our kids are gone.”

He added that this long-term philosophy is central to ensuring GTIA’s mission can endure and evolve well into the future.

“It’s not just about preservation, it’s about smart growth,” he said. “This strategy allows us to reinvest in GTIA, support strategic initiatives and continue making charitable donations, which is a true differentiator for us.”

For Pax8’s Rob Rae, his passion has always been rooted in the association’s mission. Now as GTIA, the organization can solely focus on that mission, which he believes will have a “profound impact.”

“I’m incredibly bullish on what GTIA’s future is,” said Rae, GTIA board member and corporate vice president of communities and partner experience at cloud marketplace Pax8. “Because it’s the only thing that we do, because of the direction we’re actually heading in, I’m super, super excited about what we all have here. I think we have an incredible opportunity to really change people’s lives.”

With new resources and a clear focus, board chair Scott Barlow said the future of GTIA is now fully in the hands of its members.

“You’re no longer part of the story, you are the actual story,” said Barlow, chief evangelist and global head of community at cybersecurity vendor Sophos. “Every single person on the board is dedicated to helping you grow your business, improve your operational efficiency and take things to the next level.”

He said going forward, GTIA will allocate resources based directly on member feedback.

As a new GTIA board member, Kimberly Penn is bringing a fresh perspective rooted in global risk mitigation and growth opportunities, particularly in sectors beyond the organization’s traditional reach.

“My background is primarily risk mitigation for the Department of Defense,” said Penn, president of Texas-based MSP Webtropolis. “I’m looking to bring that type of value to GTIA, not only in working with our membership but also as we look to expand into new sectors and industries.”

And with a focus on expansion and long-term development, Penn’s interest is in building bridges to the next generation of industry leaders.

“We’re working toward improving the value of the members and your membership overall,” she said.