The Top 25 Channel Sales Leaders Of 2022

As part of CRN‘s Top 100 Executives Of 2022 list, we highlight 25 sales executives leading the channel charge.

The Channel Sales Experts

The best channel sales leaders understand that going the extra mile for partners is a win-win that leads to greater growth for both the vendor and the partners on the front lines.

For our list of the Top 25 Channel Sales Leaders of 2022, we’ve selected executives who are driving partner growth and profitability with enhanced programs, improved engagement and other channel-friendly investments.

Many of these leaders are accelerating recurring revenue opportunities for partners while helping the channel to expand into new solutions and service areas.

What follows is our list of the Top 25 Channel Sales Leaders of 2022.

Be sure to also check out the complete list of CRN’s Top 100 Executives Of 2022.

25. Nick Tidd

VP, Global Channel Sales

Poly

With more than 20 years of channel management experience under his belt, Tidd has helped countless partners succeed. Now at Poly he is helping partners meet customers’ collaboration needs, which in today’s work-from-home environment arguably have never been higher.

24. Lori Cornmesser

SVP, Worldwide Channel, Alliances

Deepwatch

Cornmesser is bringing her extensive channel security background to bear in her new role at Deepwatch, where she’ll be helping the company up its channel game, particularly as the managed detection and response vendor pushes the rollout of its recently launched MXDR service.

23. Kimberly King

Senior Vice President, Strategic Partners & Alliances

Hitachi Vantara

King has guided Hitachi Vantara’s channel as it has evolved from a focus on storage to one that combines leading-edge storage, IoT and business analytics. A unified organization helps partners build IT infrastructure that forms the foundation of smart cities and more.

22. Gordon Mackintosh

Global Channels, Virtual Sales

Juniper Networks

Mackintosh made his 2020 entrance into Juniper by asking partners to be bold and, with the company’s partner program under his leadership, they have. The channel chief has helped Juniper put its money where its mouth is by investing more than $100 million in the channel.

21. Jon Bove

VP, Channel Sales

Fortinet

Fortinet has seen growing demand for its security products, and global players need global channel programs if they’re going to remain competitive in the long run. Bove has recently stepped up to that challenge, pushing hard to globalize and improve the company’s partner program across the world.

20. Craig Schlagbaum

SVP, Indirect Sales

Comcast

A channel veteran of more than two decades, Schlagbaum has led the cable giant’s channel organization for over 11 years. In that time, he built the Comcast channel program from the ground up and hasn’t stopped innovating, rolling out new offerings to the company’s hungry partners.

19. Shannon Sbar

VP, Channels, North America

Schneider Electric

Sbar is the channel chief of a revamped program at Schneider Electric that has partners gushing. The 15-year veteran is also focused on the next generation of business minds with a passion for career development, coaching and leadership.

18. Kevin Ichhpurani

CVP, Head of Global Ecosystem, Business Development

Google Cloud

Google Cloud’s new channel leader, Ichhpurani, is investing heavily in its Google Cloud Marketplace to create end-to-end solutions where customers can spend their cloud commitment not just on Google products but on channel partner solutions.

17. Graciano Beyhaut

Commercial Integration Leader, VP, Data Center Channel Sales, Critical Power, Digital Infrastructure

Eaton

The standout 14-year Eaton veteran is passionate about helping partners realize the revenue advantages of moving into managed services. Beyhaut’s mission is to help partners grow and add to their bottom line.

16. Jenni Flinders

SVP, Partners, Channel

NetApp

Flinders, who took over as NetApp’s channel chief a year ago, has kept the company’s traditional channel focus even as it moves further away from its traditional storage-only roots to become a leader in cloud technologies including cloud operations, VDI, compute cost optimization and more.

15. Frank Rauch

Head of Worldwide Channel Sales

Check Point Software Technologies

Considered an inspirational leader of sales, channel and strategy teams, Rauch has strengthened the ties between partners and the field sales organization to maximize channel profitability. He and his team are always at the top of their game.

14. Christian Alvarez

SVP, Worldwide Channel Sales

Nutanix

Nutanix channel chief Alvarez has spent the past year driving the company’s core-based pricing and metering to help the company’s partners win more hyperconverged infrastructure deals and drive storage sales.

13. Steve Pataky

Head of Sales

Cloudflare/Area 1 Security

Following Cloudfare’s recent acquisition of Area 1 Security, channel stalwart Pataky is now driving sales for the combined company. He has wasted little time implementing major changes, including the launch last month of the new Cloudflare One Partner Program.

12. Scott Mann

Channel Chief

Scale Computing

The CRN Channel Madness 2022 Champion leads Scale Computing’s worldwide channel charge and is focused on driving edge computing and hyperconverged infrastructure partner wins. He was influential in helping grow channel bookings in 2021 by 36 percent year over year.

11. Scott Lannum

VP, GM, Commercial Sales Organization

HP Inc.

The 14-year HP veteran—who has developed a close working relationship with partners—has the commercial sales channel firing on all cylinders. Lannum will also play a major role in driving channel synergies from HP’s $3.3 billion pending acquisition of video-conferencing standout Poly.

10. Kevin Rooney

VP, Americas Channel Sales

Veeam Software

The steady leadership and years of industry expertise that Rooney brings to the table have kept Veeam’s channel sales delivery on track. Part of Rooney’s job is to make sure that Veeam, which utilizes a 100 percent channel model, is helping partners build their business with the company.

9. Rob Cato

VP, North America Channel, International Sales Organization

Lenovo

One of the reasons Lenovo reached a record $70 billion in revenue in its 2022 fiscal year and a second year with $10 billion in sales growth is the seasoned leadership of the company’s channel chief. Cato was promoted in September to lead the overall North American channel.

8. Jason Kimrey

GM, U.S. Channel, Partner Programs

Intel

Kimrey leads Intel’s substantial channel program within the U.S. In his role, he helps unleash AI, pervasive connectivity and cloud-to-edge and ubiquitous computing. He is a two-decade Intel veteran focused on embracing new partner types and folding them into the Intel channel.

7. Donna Grothjan

VP, Worldwide Channel Sales

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company

Grothjan has spent more than six years at the helm of Aruba’s partner program and in that time has stayed on top of emerging trends to help partners up their game, such as managed services and Everything as a Service. Under her leadership, Aruba in June unveiled a new partner program.

6. Kendra Krause

VP, Global Channels

Sophos

Sophos, considered an SMB cybersecurity stalwart, most definitely has a stalwart leader for its global channels and sales operations. Krause has streamlined Sophos’ partner operations and significantly expanded its partner base, particularly the number of regional and global MSP partnerships.

5. Ruba Borno

VP, Worldwide Channels, Alliances

Amazon Web Services

AWS’ worldwide channel leader is laser-focused on making it easier to navigate the AWS Partner Network. Borno is guiding partners to drive profitability and tailoring the AWS channel experience to partners’ business models, including investing in the Partner Paths program.

4. Rola Dagher

Global Channel Chief

Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies recently said that for the trailing 12 months, Dell partners drove $60 billion in bookings, a record, and a feather in the cap of Global Channel Chief Dagher. She said the company is putting partners at the center of everything it does and doubling down on winning trust by focusing on security.

3. Oliver Tuszik

SVP, Global Partner Organization

Cisco Systems

For over three years Tuszik has been on a mission to help partners perform and transform alongside Cisco. He’s doing it by cutting complexity and promoting software and subscriptions through partners, who are the company’s leading force in driving recurring revenue and managed services.

2. George Hope

Worldwide Head of Partner Sales

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hope is driving unprecedented HPE GreenLake partner adoption and sales growth, with two consecutive quarters of triple-digit channel sales growth and over 900 partners now selling GreenLake. His latest move: a new Everything-as-a-Service channel ecosystem program.

1. Terry Richardson

North America Channel Chief

AMD

Richardson is working to elevate AMD into a true channel powerhouse. He is bringing his vast relationships and partner program expertise to the table to drive AMD deeper into the enterprise and PC markets, launching a new partner program this year for commercial systems that rewards partners who aggressively position the company’s CPUs with financial incentives—including volume rebates and MDF.

Another smart move by Richardson aimed at boosting AMD’s channel sales was the hiring of channel superstar Marty Bauerlein as head of North America commercial sales.

Bauerlein and Richardson are now dialing up the competition against Intel and other rivals in the enterprise, midmarket and SMB segments.

With the weight of AMD’s channel on his shoulders, Richardson is putting the profits into the pockets of partners with the goal of winning more market share.