OpenText’s Christine Gassman On Partner Program Overhaul: ‘A Lot Of Partners Don’t Even Know What They’re Entitled To’

‘If partners are actually using the benefits, if on-boarding scores go up, if communication improves, that’s how we’ll know it’s working. At the end of the day, we want partners to feel informed, supported and genuinely valued,’ says Christine Gassman, OpenText’s global director of partner success.

After a year of tightening alignment across products, platforms and partners, OpenText is taking its next big step in the channel with a full-scale revamp of its partner program, led by newly appointed Global Director of Partner Success Christine Gassman (pictured).

The move follows months of internal collaboration, third-party research and direct partner feedback, an approach OpenText’s channel leadership says was intentional.

“We could’ve rushed it just to say we launched something new,” Mike DePalma, vice president of business development at Waterloo, Ontario-based vendor OpenText, told CRN. “But instead we said, ‘Let’s do it right.’ And that meant really listening to partners, even when the feedback wasn’t flashy.”

DePalma, who recruited Gassman, joined OpenText in March 2025 and over the past 11 months has heard what partners are asking for most: better integrations, simpler procurement and a smoother day-to-day experience.

“We thought we had everything buttoned up,” he said. “Then I got out on the road and realized, yeah… some of these integrations weren’t where they needed to be. The good news was how fast the product teams responded once that feedback came in.”

Those conversations ultimately shaped the decision to overhaul OpenText’s existing partner program rather than replace it outright. It also led to bringing on Gassman, a 20-plus-year channel veteran who helped build Datto’s partner program from the ground up.

Gassman, who is named on CRN’s 2026 Channel Chiefs list, brings experience and expertise in building, scaling and modernizing partner programs across cybersecurity, SaaS and managed services. Her career spans senior channel, community and business development roles at companies including Mailprotector, Blackpoint Cyber and Datto, to name a few.

“The foundation is solid,” Gassman told CRN. “What we’re doing is cleaning up processes, strengthening support and making sure partners actually know, and can use, what’s available to them.”

For DePalma, who is named on CRN’s 2026 Channel Chiefs: The 50 Most Influential list, the timing was about maturity.

“We hired third-party analysts, ran focus groups and slowed ourselves down,” he said. “What came back wasn’t, ‘add more rebates.’ It was on-boarding. Communication. The first 90 days. How does it feel to be a partner? If partners feel supported, if we pick up the phone, walk them through on-boarding and make their lives easier, that’s where long-term loyalty comes from.”

One of Gassman’s first responsibilities is overseeing the partner success team, including on-boarding, which she said is the first real partner experience.

“Presales is great, but once they sign, that’s when expectations meet reality,” she said. “We want that to be a true white-glove experience.”

Education and enablement are also central to the relaunch, especially around Microsoft and AI. OpenText has been investing heavily in hands-on partner support, including workshops and one-on-one guidance to help MSPs uncover missed rebates, optimize licensing and advance their Microsoft partner status.

“A lot of partners don’t even know what they’re entitled to,” Gassman said. “When I saw what our Microsoft enablement team was doing, I thought, ‘This is amazing, we need to make sure everyone knows about this.’”

Another major focus area is MDF, which she will work to simplify access to while also helping partners plan and execute campaigns. “We’re not just cutting checks. We’re being an extension of their team,” she said.

While the core structure of the program will remain consistent worldwide, it is being designed with regional flexibility in mind, accounting for differences in discounts, support models, time zones and local market needs.

And the program is a companywide effort, she said, touching product, support, development, sales and marketing.

“You can’t build a partner program in a bubble,” she said. “Tech support is part of the partner experience. Product feedback is part of it. All of it has to connect.”

For Gassman, success will be measured less by announcements and more by adoption.

“If partners are actually using the benefits, if on-boarding scores go up, if communication improves, that’s how we’ll know it’s working,” she said. “At the end of the day, we want partners to feel informed, supported and genuinely valued.”