2008 Channel Chiefs: Who's Who In Software
KEN BADO
Executive VP, Sales and Services
Autodesk
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: In 2007, Autodesk launched several new initiatives to strengthen its relationship with its channel partners. For example, the company implemented the Premier Solution Provider Designation, a way to recognize the top 25 percent of partners who meet rigorous personnel requirements, sales growth targets and customer satisfaction ratings. [READ MORE]
JANET E. WOOD
Senior VP, Partners and Integration
Business Objects, an SAP company
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: Our major accomplishments over the past year include: 1. Increase in partner revenues, including 20 percent increase in $1M+ deals with SIs and a 36 percent revenue growth from the Solution Provider channel in North America. 2. Recruited a host of new partners, including 133 OEM (ISV) partners and 120 Crystal VAR partners through Distribution. 3. Significant improvement in partner satisfaction ratings on measures such as product, education, sales consulting, quality of customer assurance and ease of doing business. [READ MORE]
W.B (BILL) LIPSIN
Senior VP And General Manager, Global Channel Sales
CA
Most innovative initiative: This past year, Bill Lipsin unveiled an innovative approach to adapting a traditional direct sales model to one in which the channel plays a more dominant role at CA. Bill's strategy introduced CA solutions to markets not previously served through the channel, creating a mutually beneficial opportunity for our partners as well as CA. [READ MORE]
AL MONSERRAT
VP, Worldwide Channels and Emerging Product Sales
Citrix Systems, Inc.
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: Significant growth in revenue year over year through our channel partners Integration of three acquired companies into the Citrix Partner Network Increased demand generation capabilities and partner readiness Reducing the barriers to entry for new solution advisors Introduction of new virtual training program for both sales and technical content in support of partner certification for server virtualization products. [READ MORE]
ERIC BRASWELL
Senior Director of Global Channels
DiCentral
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: Growing a brand new channel program in a company with 100 percent direct sales to a 4th quarter result with 64 percent indirect revenues. This milestone quarter also contained the highest revenue months in company history. Additionally, the channel program successfully managed certification processes with the major ERP platforms, allowing us to provide the necessary credibility our partners need to close business. [READ MORE]
DARCI DUTTON-REIMUND
Head of Channels, North America
Google Enterprise
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: We have created a world-class channel program that is supportive to our partners' investment through financial incentives, technical and sales support, product education, partner rewards, and a strong sales engagement model. [READ MORE]
ADRIAN JONES
VP and General Manager
HP Solution Partners Organization (SPO), Americas
Most innovative initiative: In May, HP announced a broadening of its HP Channel Partner Co-marketing Program to support HP's integrated server and storage (ISS) products following a highly successful rollout of the program to support PSG solution sales in January. [READ MORE]
SCOTT TUTHILL
VP, Small and Medium Business, Americas, Imaging and Printing Group
HP
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: Transforming our value channel offering for IPG to enable more partners to go after growth opportunities in capturing pages. This includes transitioning our SVIP Elite program to the Office Printing program and enhancing our Smart Printing Services to support a variety of partner financial models and selling motions. [READ MORE]
STACY WUESTE
VP of Partner Development and Programs, HP Solution Partners Organization (SPO)
HP
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: In 2007, HP was focused on engaging deeper with partners in the public sector and mid-market in the Americas. In the public sector, HP focused on helping its partners win state/local education and federal business and that focus has resulted in major growth opportunities for HP and our partners. [READ MORE]
JIM CORGEL
General Manager, ISV and Developer Relations
IBM
Most innovative initiative: In 2007 we truly helped our partners reach farther than ever before. Helping partners to expand their business to new parts of the globe required some innovative thinking on our part. Our whole team worked together to create ways and opportunities for partners to tap into the resources- including sales, marketing, and technical experts we have in place in 170 countries to help them expand their business beyond their local, geographic markets. [READ MORE]
ROBERT DESHAIES
VP, U.S. Partner Group
Microsoft
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: Our biggest accomplishment is how we've engaged with our partners around our largest wave of innovation. Thousands of partners here in the U.S. have attended events, trainings, and conferences, as well as participated in early adopter programs and leveraged online resources. [READ MORE]
ALLISON WATSON
Corporate VP, Worldwide Partner Group
Microsoft
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: In the past year, we have helped partners prepare for and execute on the largest wave of innovation in Microsoft's history. Through readiness events, trainings, conferences, early adopter programs, and online resources, we armed our partners to deliver the value of Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office System, and Microsoft Exchange to hundreds of thousands of customers throughout the world. Driving the large majority of these engagements are more than 400,000 partners that continue to develop innovative customer solutions with Microsoft technologies and services. [READ MORE]
PAT BERNARD
VP, Global Channel Sales
Novell
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: In November 2007, Novell announced a new initiative to increase revenue and profitability for solution providers and consulting partners who specialize in selling Novell technologies. Among the channel benefits, Novell began to offer enhanced partner education, joint marketing opportunities and free technical support for those partners demonstrating expertise in selling and supporting Novell software. [READ MORE]
DOUG KENNEDY
Senior VP, Worldwide Alliances And Channels
Oracle
Most innovative initiative: We believe the most innovative initiative we launched was the VAD Remarketer Program. It is a very different approach from what how we managed relationships with our resellers, and has opened up the Oracle product set to a broader set of resellers. [READ MORE]
COLLEEN SMITH
VP, SaaS Partner Program
Progress Software
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: Over the past year, Progress' channel organization has expanded upon their SaaS empowerment program and incorporated 10 new empowerment offerings. Through these initiatives, Progress was able to grow SaaS revenue by 30 percent over 2006, and added 40 partners to the SaaS. Additionally, over the past year, Progress has brought over 100 ISVs through SaaS empowerment program. [READ MORE]
MARK ENZWEILER
VP, North America Channels
Red Hat
Open source is hot. So Enzweiler should keep Red Hat as a Linux leader. [READ MORE]
NINA SMITH (CO-CHIEF WITH DOUG MEYER)
Divisional President
Sage Software
What is the greatest challenge you overcame in the past year: Successfully expanding our award winning partner programs while establishing 2 new company divisions (BMD and ISSD). [READ MORE]
DOUG MEYER (CO-CHIEF WITH NINA SMITH)
Divisional President
Sage Software
What is the greatest challenge you overcame in the past year: Successfully expanding our award winning partner programs while establishing 2 new company divisions (BMD and ISSD). [READ MORE]
BOBBY NAPILTONIA
Senior VP, Worldwide Channels and Alliances
Salesforce.com
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: Salesforce has taken numerous strides in the past year in terms of delivering success to the channel with their Salesforce Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Force.com Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions. This year Salesforce.com launched a range of programs such as their AppExchange Incubator in San Mateo, Calif., for partners to achieve SaaS and PaaS success by working side-by-side with salesforce.com. [READ MORE]
RUSS COBB
VP, Alliances and Product Marketing
SAS Alliances
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: The SAS Alliance Reseller Program provides SMB and mid-market customers with access to the benefits of SAS software through indirect channels. Some major accomplishments of this organization in 2007 include: 1) Introduction of new bundled software offerings with new pricing models and price points for resellers. 2) Launching the SAS Reseller Program globally to 13 countries initially (grown to 17 to date), which had a significant impact in growing SAS software sales. 3) In its first reseller survey (Americas only) to gauge reseller satisfaction, SAS received an overall ranking of 4.1 out of 5. Our competitors averaged 3.28. [READ MORE]
KERRY K. GRIMES
VP, Mid-Market and Global Channel Sales
Siemens PLM Software (formerly UGS Corp)
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: We continued to change a company that had a direct sales culture for more than 40 years. We also continued to increase percentage of channel revenue and increased revenue for every major product brand through channel. [READ MORE]
STEVEN HOUCK
VP, Worldwide Channel Sales
VMware
In 2007 we expanded our channel resources, grew our SMB footprint with new customers and new partners to address the market, strengthened our partner ecosystem with new training courses and increased enrollment and most importantly, increased our partners performance the introduction of the new Advantage + financial incentive program. From a channel perspective, we fully prepared ourselves by continuously innovating our core products and evolving our channel go-to market strategy along the way. [READ MORE]