Here’s How 20 Channel Chiefs Describe Their Personal Channel Philosophy

Channel executives on the CRN 2026 Channel Chiefs list were asked to describe their personal channel philosophy. From the role the channel plays in IT vendors’ go-to-market strategies to best practices for building vendor-partner relationships, here’s what 20 channel chiefs had to say.

Philosophical Approach

Channel executives set the stage for how their company works with channel partners, both on a day-to-day basis and for the strategic long term. So how these executives think about the channel is critical.

In earlier days “the channel” was largely viewed as an extension of an IT manufacturer’s sales force, a way to increase the number of profitably executed sales transactions.

But today the channel is much more than just sales transactions with solution providers, VARs, systems integrators, MSPs and strategic service providers offering technical and market expertise, full life-cycle services, product add-ons and extensions, and more.

Truly effective channel chiefs today go beyond “channel management” and think more deeply about vendor-channel partner relationships and what makes them successful.

As part of the CRN 2026 Channel Chiefs project, we asked the more than 550 channel executives who made the list to describe their personal channel philosophy. Here’s what 20 had to say.

The following responses are taken directly from the 2026 Channel Chief applications and have been lightly edited for clarity.

Aeris

Robert Holley

Head Of Channel, New Routes To Market

My leadership philosophy was forged in the military: Lead from the front, build trust and create teams that endure. I bring that same approach to the partner community. Success isn’t measured in transactions but in the strength of the ecosystem we build together. Partners win when they’re more profitable, more predictable and more differentiated. No matter the partner type, I meet them where they are and give them a clear path to value—simple offers, frictionless on-boarding and shared goals that deliver lasting outcomes for their customers.

Amazon Web Services

Ruba Borno

VP, Global Specialists, Partners

Partners are a force multiplier for customer outcomes—especially with AI. We’re committed to building programs and upskilling our partners to help them grow alongside us, and we’re already seeing results: Partners are achieving up to $7.13 multiplier for every $1 of AWS sold.

Through initiatives like our AI Competency Program, Migration Acceleration Program and AWS Marketplace innovations, we’re making success more predictable and accessible for partners of all sizes, from global consulting firms to startups, to grow and scale their business.

Cato Networks

Karl Soderlund

Global Channel Chief

The partners know that I am a listen-first, act-second type of person, so their voice is going to be heard. And even historically with the partner programs that I’ve rolled out in the past, I’ve always said that I have the honor of representing a lot of the ideas from our partner community. So it’s getting feedback from them, working with them in the field and traveling all around the globe to make sure we meet with our current partners and partner prospects that may be excited and energized to work with Cato in the future.

Cisco Systems

Tim Coogan

SVP, Global Partner Sales

Partners don’t owe us anything—we earn their loyalty every single day. I bring 25 years of watching this ecosystem deliver extraordinary results from the seller’s side, so I understand what partners need to win and what gets in the way.

My philosophy: Accountability, transparency and communication aren’t buzzwords; they’re how I operate. Successful partnerships aren’t built on what we do for partners; they’re built on what we accomplish together. When we combine Cisco’s innovation with partners’ market expertise and customer relationships, we create outcomes no competitor can match. That’s the foundation of durable growth for both partners and Cisco.

Commvault

Michelle Graff

SVP, Global Partners, Channel Sales

Understanding our partners’ priorities and goals and how our partnership can help them deliver and accelerate customer value is paramount. Every motion we deliver with our partners is tied back to unlocking outcomes for customers; this includes helping customers optimize investments toward building better customer solutions and remaining competitive all while minimizing risk and cost to the business. It’s pretty simple: If we help our partners deliver value that helps our joint customers deliver value, we all win. Applying this North Star value helps us take a different lens of value first, not Commvault or technology first.

CrowdStrike

Michael Rogers

VP, Global Alliances

My channel philosophy starts with one principle: The customer sits at the center of everything we do. Every partner—from solution providers and distributors to GSIs, hyperscalers and technology alliances—plays a critical role in driving customer success. I believe in leading with authenticity because genuine relationships built on trust, transparency and shared purpose deliver the strongest results.

Authenticity drives collaboration, accelerates execution, and ensures every partnership is grounded in integrity and impact. When we lead with purpose and stay true to our mission of stopping bad things from happening to good organizations, everyone wins.

Exabeam

Craig Patterson

Global Channel Chief

My channel philosophy is rooted in the belief that true partnership is built on enablement, not transactions. A program must empower partners to scale through their strengths, whether services, technical depth or market expertise. By shifting from sales-based tiering to a competency-first model, like we’ve done with the Exabeam APEX Partner Program, we reward specialization, customer success and long-term value creation. This approach creates clearer paths to profitability and makes it easier for partners to invest in Exabeam as a core practice, not a product line, resulting in more resilient, service-led and mutually valuable partnerships.

Intel

David Guzzi

VP, Commercial, Partner GTM; Global Channel Chief

Channel partnerships bring innovation to end customers in ways direct selling cannot, as the possibilities that combine ‘best of’ from a range of technology providers coalesce into solutions. At Intel, our goal is to drive acceleration and scale by adopting a cross-ecosystem approach to delivering critical business outcomes for our common end-customers while ensuring we maintain a healthy and profitable channel.

Intermedia Intelligent Communications

Jonathan McCormick

COO, Head Of Sales

Partnership isn’t a program—it’s a promise. My approach centers on giving partners ownership, control and confidence in their business. When partners can brand solutions as their own, set their pricing and serve customers directly, they build stronger, more profitable relationships. Our job is to make that success as simple as possible—through flexible go-to-market models, turnkey on-boarding, training, marketing and support, and AI-driven tools that help partners scale smarter. We measure our success by the growth and loyalty of our partners, not just our revenue.

Microsoft

Nina Harding

Corporate VP, Americas Enterprise Partner Solutions

Lead with purpose, partner with heart and grow through curiosity. I believe in the power of authentic relationships, bold thinking and continuous learning. Every interaction is an opportunity to inspire, empower, and elevate those around us. By staying curious, embracing change and leading with empathy, we create a culture where people and partnerships thrive.

N-able

David Weeks

VP, Partner Experience

My channel philosophy centers on driving collective success through collaboration, transparency and shared opportunity. I believe there is room for everyone to thrive, and that peer-to-peer and cross-functional partnerships unlock greater value for all. By fostering trust and mutual support, we elevate not just individual contributions but the performance and growth of our entire ecosystem. Together, we achieve more.

Nutanix

David Gwyn

SVP, Worldwide Channels

My channel philosophy centers on building true partnerships that prioritize the partner’s success. This means continued focus on the ‘Big 4:’ Profitability: ensuring partners can build thriving businesses with Nutanix. Product-market fit: delivering solutions that meet real customer needs. Long-term commitment: investing in lasting relationships and mutual growth. Trust: operating with transparency, consistency and integrity.

By prioritizing these elements, we can empower our partners to deliver exceptional value to customers and achieve shared success. This is the foundation of a thriving ecosystem where everyone wins.

Palo Alto Networks

Michael Khoury

VP, Global Ecosystems Partners

When I think of partners, the first word that comes to mind is ‘scale.’ In my view, companies have limited growth opportunities without leveraging their full partner ecosystem. Particularly in cybersecurity, partners add value throughout the entire customer life cycle from offers and solutions development and proposal, to consulting and advisory, to resale and distribution, to support and managed services.

In buying cybersecurity solutions, customers are looking to solve a challenge (or multiple) and partners act as trusted advisors to help them solve these challenges. Partners have the pulse of customers in regional and market demands, leading to stronger customer relationships.

Pure Storage

Hope Galley

VP, Americas Partner Sales

My personal philosophy is rooted in being a listener first. The best strategies come from truly understanding what partners need to grow and removing friction wherever possible.

I believe in staying humble, staying curious, and building programs that are simple, profitable, and aligned to how partners actually run their businesses. Leadership in the channel is earned: by showing up, delivering outcomes, and advocating for partners every step of the way. Together, we win.

RingCentral

Brandon Thomas

VP, Head Of Channel

I firmly believe that partners are the lifeline to our customers, as they speak with more customers in a day than we ever could. Therefore, my goal is to arm partners with the tools and resources to let them lead the customer conversation. Rather than merely relying on transactional relationships, we encourage partners to go beyond the sale to own the full customer life cycle. This helps partners add value for their clients, establishing partners as experts in all things tech and securing future business through strong vendor-plus-partner-plus-customer relationships.

ServiceNow

Michael Park

SVP, Global Partnerships, Channels

I believe partners are the ultimate force multiplier for ServiceNow’s AI-led, customer-obsessed and partner-powered strategy. I see the ecosystem as the greatest unlock for scaling AI-powered transformation and for helping customers adopt innovation faster and with greater impact.

My philosophy centers on creating an easy button for partners by using AI to remove friction, simplify engagement, and rethink how work gets done. By providing early access to innovation, world-class enablement, and modern, intuitive experiences, we’re empowering partners to build differentiated and profitable practices. We define success as co-innovation, shared accountability, and delivering outcomes together with speed and clarity.

SolarWinds

Barb Huelskamp

VP, Global Channels, Alliances

My philosophy is to enrich the lives of the people we serve, including employees, customers, shareholders, partners and communities. With a partner-first mindset, it is important that partners can transform their business with simple, powerful and secure solutions.

As the channel partner space has shifted, it has allowed us to build a global partner ecosystem providing IT professionals with more accessible, localized services and support, better technology integration, and more relevant tools. We work hard to earn our partners’ trust with a best-in-class platform, effective tools, and employ our value system in how we approach business together.

Sophos

Scott Barlow

Chief Evangelist, Global Head Of MSP, Cloud Alliances

The channel is and always will be about relationships. Real, human, lasting relationships built on trust, transparency and shared success. I believe in showing up face-to-face to listen, learn and help partners grow. The best partnerships aren’t transactional; they’re transformational, focused on helping MSPs increase revenue, lower costs and improve operational efficiency.

Technology changes fast, but nothing replaces genuine connection. Engaging partners in person builds empathy, sparks innovation and strengthens community. The future of the channel belongs to those who lead with authenticity, invest in relationships, and understand that no platform or program can ever outperform trust.

WatchGuard Technologies

Michelle Welch

CMO, SVP, Business Strategy

Channel partners are not a route to market, they are our market. It is our responsibility to deliver products, people and tools to enable them to thrive. Every dollar we spend, every service we deliver, and every WatchGuardian we hire is dedicated to empowering the channel to bring enterprise-grade security to the masses.

Zscaler

Anthony Torsiello

SVP, Global Partner Ecosystem

My approach to partnering is simple: Create meaningful impact through shared goals, trust and accountability. Successful partnerships start with putting the customer first, working together to solve real challenges and deliver outcomes that matter. I believe in leveraging each other’s strengths and fostering innovation to drive mutual growth.

For me, partners aren’t just an extension of the team; they’re an integral part of it. When we collaborate as equals, with a focus on delivering value and transformation, that’s when the most rewarding and impactful outcomes are achieved. It’s about building relationships that create lasting success for everyone involved.