HPE Channel Vet Simon Ewington Named Global Ecosystem Leader: ‘Partnering Is In My DNA’
Hewlett Packard Enterprise appoints Simon Ewington as its new worldwide channel and partner ecosystem leader. Here’s what partners need to know.
Everything Simon Ewington has worked for over the past three decades has led up to this moment: being named Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s first worldwide channel and partner ecosystem leader.
“To lead the partner organization for the company that essentially created partnering in the IT industry—it’s a dream come true,” Ewington told CRN. “Partnering is in my DNA. Every job I’ve done in the last 30 years—from my very first job to this job—partnering has been at the center of it. It’s been the constant mainstay of everything I’ve done throughout my career.”
As the new vice president of the worldwide channel and partner ecosystem, Ewington is now tasked with leading HPE’s massive 90,000-strong partner ecosystem team that includes both HPE’s worldwide channels and ecosystem as well as the HPE GreenLake partner ecosystem.
The 27-year HPE and HP veteran plans to boost partner profitability, program simplicity and make the Spring, Texas-based infrastructure giant into an as-a-service market leader. In order to grow partner sales and market share, he said the channel is critical.
“If the channel is not successful, if the channel doesn’t find us attractive as a vendor, if the channel doesn’t find us simple to engage with, and if the channel partner community doesn’t see us as a profitable vendor—then our businesses is in long-term jeopardy,” said Ewington.
[For an in-depth look at Ewington partner vision and biggest priorities read: HPE’s New Global Partner Head Talks GreenLake, Biggest Priories And As-A-Service Future ]
Who Is Simon Ewington?
Ewington first joined Hewlett Packard in 1995 in various services and product sales roles inside the United Kingdom.
By 2008, he moved up the ranks to become vice president of distribution for all of HP’s EMEA region. In 2014, he moved to HPE as vice president of channel sales for EMEA. In 2021, he became vice president of worldwide distribution at HPE.
Ewington had taken over as interim head of the new combined channels and partner ecosystem organization in February, while maintaining his duties as vice president of worldwide distribution. HPE said it is now looking for a new head of worldwide distribution.
“Simon is an incredible leader,” said Gilles Thiebaut, HPE senior vice president of worldwide ecosystem and business development, in a statement Thursday. “Along with a wealth of channel experience in both the regional and global partner ecosystem roles, while serving in the role on an interim basis Simon has led the team in accelerating HPE’s as-a-service momentum.”
Thiebaut said Ewington is the “right leader at the right time,” and will “drive efforts” to expand business opportunities for HPE partners while also accelerating HPE’s edge-to-cloud strategy.
“Simon will continue to drive the team’s efforts to build on our momentum, deliver against the HPE Partner Ready Vantage program, and help guide partners in leveraging the opportunity of the HPE GreenLake Cloud platform to align with customer outcomes and requirements,” said Thiebaut.
HPE Executive Changes
Thiebaut said the Ewington appointment builds on other channel leadership changes HPE has made in the past several months as the company continues to “invest in supporting and further growing” its partner ecosystem.
Ulrich Seibold, a 39-year HPE and HP channel veteran, was recently selected as vice president of HPE GreenLake partner and service provider sales. Then in June, Lene Skov, a four-year Aruba veteran, was named vice president of worldwide channel sales for HPE Aruba Networking.
When asked what his “call to action for partners” is, Ewington quickly responded, ‘Give us feedback and continue to tell us where we need to improve.”
“While I think we do a pretty good job of engaging with all types of partners, we know that we need to focus on being better—whether that’s being better by driving a more profitable growing business for partners, whether that’s by being even more productive, or by driving a better experience—we need the feedback,” he said. “We need the honesty of engagement because it’s a partnership. If we win, our partner community wins.”