2023 CHANNEL CHIEFS

Cisco Systems

Nick Holden VP, Global Strategic Partners, Co-Sell Holden helped define Cisco’s new routes to market with cloud hyperscalers—and Cisco’s engagement model with hyperscalers and channel partners—to meet customers’ new buying needs.

Cisco Systems

Marc Surplus VP, Partner Strategy, Programs Surplus’ team drove partner differentiation through solution specializations, lower costs to achieve differentiation, more opportunities to earn incentives, and a better experience with tools and systems.

Cisco ThousandEyes

Craig Vario Head of Channel

Vario oversaw efforts that paved the way for ThousandEyes’ transition to go all in on channel sales. He also detailed best practices for driving more subscription-based annual recurring revenue for partners.

Cohesity

Dan Monahan VP, Americas Channel Sales Monahan and his team made the way partners achieved their goals as important as achieving the goals themselves.

Net-new logos, as-aservice sales and number of active sellers are as important as achieving a sales goal.

Cisco Systems

Frank Lento Managing Director, Global Head, Partner Security Sales Organization

Lento aligned the partner program to partner success by providing tailored offers and incentives. This will result in incremental growth of over $200 million for partners working together side by side to protect customers.

Cisco Systems

Luxy Thuraisingam Head of Global Partner Marketing, SMB

The SMB marketing function this past year was placed under Thuraisingam’s leadership, and she has demonstrated early success with driving brand preference, designing a partner-focused digital lead engine and simplifying tools.

Citrix, a Cloud Software Group

Mike Fouts VP, Global Service Providers

Fouts strengthened the focus of channel accounting for the evolution of what partnership looks like industrywide. He brought service provider partners to the forefront, expanding their presence within the ecosystem.

Comcast Business and Masergy

Craig Schlagbaum

SVP, Indirect Channels Schlagbaum started the channel program at Comcast Business over 11 years ago and has been leading it every year since. Over the past year, he has been a driving force in bringing the Comcast Business and Masergy teams together.

Cisco Systems

Andrew Sage VP, Global Distribution, SMB Sales

With Sage leading the way in bringing SMB into the channel, Cisco will see incremental benefits accrued by partners and SMB customers. This is a channel-led business and the proximity to key routes to market will drive greater investment.

Cisco Systems

Oliver Tuszik SVP, Global Partner Sales, GM, Routes To Market

Tuszik scaled different routes to market in a partnerfirst motion, implemented a new value-based partner certification, and prioritized significant investments to reduce partner complexity in their sales operations and in Cisco’s incentive programs.

Cloudera

Rachel Tuller Head of Global Partner Strategy, Programs, Alliances

Tuller aligned the partner strategy to Cloudera’s overall go-to-market motion. She also brought in the people with great skill sets who crafted a vision, set out on a path to accomplish it, and did so within a year.

Commvault

Alan Atkinson Chief Partner Officer

As a key goto-market technical resource, Atkinson helped structure much of Commvault’s current channel strategy and developed a baseline approach that he will be rolling out as the company’s chief partner officer.

Cisco Systems

Denzil Samuels VP, Global Customer Experience Partner Success

Samuels conducted more than 270 CEO strategic discussions with partners globally. He also hired and trained customer experience (CX) specialists globally and increased CX partner certifications by 130 percent.

Cisco Systems

José van Dijk VP, Global Partner Performance, Experience

Van Dijk continued to invest and expand capabilities in additional routes to market while also working to simplify the partner experience. Managed services are essential to the strategy to shift the portfolio to be consumed as a service.

Cloudflare

Matthew Harrell Global Head of Channels, Alliances

Harrell delivered 50 percent year-overyear growth in channel bookings, built on Cloudflare’s service delivery catalog and capabilities and launched a zero trust partner program, the Cloudflare One Partner Program.

Compliancy Group

Paul Redding

VP, Partner Engagement, Cybersecurity

Selling compliance and security together has been hard for MSPs. Redding created messaging that has been successful in selling nontraditional tools, making it easier to sell compliance. Compliance became the launching pad to justify other services MSPs sell.

ComputerVault

Marc Zarrella

VP, Head of Revenue, Partnerships

Zarrella secured partnerships with TD Synnex and Arrow Electronics. Through building relationships, he was able to deliver the ComputerVault value proposition from a channel partner ecosystem and end customer perspective.

ConnectWise

Natalie Suarez

Principal Solutions Advisor, Cybersecurity

Suarez launched the Evolve Cybersecurity Peer Group and Cybersecurity Product Advisory Council, where best cybersecurity practices for all ConnectWise products are recommended. She is also an IT Nation Certify Instructor.

Cradlepoint

Tony Puopolo VP, Sales, Service Providers Puopolo added 30 percent more head count to the U.S. MSP sales team, growing the business faster than any other area. He also expanded the MSP programs from the U.S. market and launched across Europe.

Cribl

Zachary Kilpatrick VP, Channels

Cribl has spent the past year not only defining what its vision for a channelfirst strategy means, but also building it. Kilpatrick worked with leadership to institute a channel team that’s instrumental to Cribl’s routes to market across the partner ecosystem.