Microsoft Merges Partner, Small-Business Groups

The new Worldwide Partner Group and Worldwide Small Business Group, announced in mid-September and revealed more publicly on Monday, will be led by channel chief Allison Watson, who now assumes the post of vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner and Worldwide Small Business Group. Watson, formerly vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group, continues to report to Orlando Ayala, senior vice president of the Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partner (SMS&P) Group and COO of Microsoft Business Solutions.

The merging of the two divisions reflects the growing synergies and blurring lines between the channel and the small-business space at Microsoft. Watson cited the recent launch of the Small Business Specialist partner certification and online Professional Accountants Network as examples of the crossover.

"In the worldwide small business group, we need a value proposition and compelling reason [for small businesses] to engage with Microsoft, and their key relationship with Microsoft assets and products is through the partner channel," Watson said. "In the midmarket business, it's broader and has a more complex product and partner linkage with the higher end of the enterprise."

The formerly independent partner group now falls under the auspices of the Microsoft Business Division, one of three company divisions formed when Microsoft combined its Information Worker business and Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) under Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division.

Watson will continue to own responsibility for partners in the midmarket sector and interface with midmarket business chief John Lauer and Simon Witts, who runs Microsoft's enterprise business.

To bolster the merged small-business and partner operations, Watson hired former Sun executive Sherle Webb-Robins to serve as general manager of the Microsoft Partner Program. Also coming aboard the new group is 14-year Microsoft veteran Doug Leland, who will serve as general manager of Worldwide Small Business.

Webb-Robins served as vice president of Sun's global sales organization and replaces partner program executive Kevin Wueste, who architected the rollout of Microsoft&s revised partner program since 2002. He resigned from the post and is looking at opportunities within and outside of Microsoft, Watson said.

Leland was promoted to serve as general manager of the Small Business Segment Marketing Team and is responsible for sales and marketing strategy as well as public relations for the small, midmarket and partner segments. He replaces former small-business executive Steven Guggenheimer, who became general manager of application platform and development marketing in Microsoft's new Platforms and Services Division.

Meanwhile, Watson appointed Microsoft insider Kati Hvidtfeldt to serve as senior director of ISV and MBS Partner Strategy and former Microsoft South Africa and Latin America executive Jenni Flinders as director of business management for the Worldwide Partner Group and Worldwide Small Business Group. Partner veteran Don Nelson will continue to run Microsoft's sales, readiness, competitive strategy and channel development team, and Margo Day continues as vice president of Microsoft's U.S. Partner Group.