CRN_August2023_Issue_1421

CHANNEL SALES LEADERS 25

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When Elbaz started his job as HP Inc.’s global channel chief in late 2021, his priority was to get in front of partners and figure out “how we can accel- erate the business together.” Less than two years later, the 17-year company veteran has found new ways to do just that through several improve- ments to the IT giant’s Amplify partner program. Among the changes, Elbaz has concocted a mutually beneficial plan to encourage partners to grow sales and margins while help- ing HP become a hybrid work

Jason Kimrey GM, U.S. Channel, Partner Programs Intel

Ruba Borno VP, Worldwide Channels, Alliances Amazon Web Services AWS’ fearless channel leader created a host of strategic collaboration agreements with partners this year aimed at taking their AWS sales to new heights. Borno is also driv- ing new partnerships with ISVs and pushing partners to put more of their offerings on the AWS Marketplace.

A stalwart champion of the channel, Kimrey has played a key role at Intel in strengthening ties with a wide range of U.S. partners while carrying out improve- ments in the Intel Partner Alliance program, such as reworked versions of Intel Partner University and Intel Solutions Marketplace.

KOBI ELBAZ GM, Global Channel Organization HP Inc.

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Rola Dagher Global Channel Chief Dell Technologies As Dell’s channel chief, Dagher has been busy making things better for the company’s part- ners. She developed and unveiled a new partner program and told CRN that she is “focused on meeting customers needs’ and increasing the partner stickiness.”

Ricky Cooper Head Of Worldwide Partner, Commercial Organization VMware

powerhouse through recent acquisitions like Poly and Teradici. Called “More for More,” the upcoming benefit will create a rate multiplier for compensa- tion to partners who sell a wider range of products and services from HP’s expanded portfolio. But Elbaz is not just thinking about business. He’s also finding new ways to encourage partners to partici- pate in HP’s sustainability-focused Amplify Impact program and follow its goal to become the most sustainable tech company by 2030.

Cooper has rolled out a new partner program, Partner Connect 2.0, as he works toward bolstering what he told CRN is the “age of the partner.” With edge com- puting, AI and other trends rocking the industry, he said the key to winning is “part- nering together.”

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Phil Soper Head Of North America Partner Sales Hewlett Packard Enterprise Soper has been a good steward of the GreenLake Everything-as-a-Service model, creating new cloud services opportunities including a new Storage- as-a-Service incentive that tripled the commission to 17 percent. He also ensured the 17 percent GreenLake rebate remained in place.

Kendra Krause VP, Global Channels Sophos

Kevin Ichhpurani CVP, Head Of Global Ecosystem, Business

Rob Cato VP, North America Channels Lenovo Cato has been all in on the channel as he continues to lead Lenovo’s North American efforts to unlock new growth opportuni- ties for partners and give them easier access to the company’s portfolio of services, servers and cli- ent devices as part of the Lenovo 360 global partner framework.

Craig Schlagbaum SVP, Indirect Sales Comcast A decorated channel leader of over three decades and Comcast’s channel chief for over 12 years, Schlagbaum, a tireless channel advocate, manages the combined indirect channel team and the overall indirect chan- nel programs for Comcast Business and Masergy with over 5,000 U.S. partners.

Development Google Cloud

As Sophos continues its shift to focus on security services, Krause has been on the front lines helping partners find increased success. She has supplied partners with the train- ing and resources to help them capture the massive opportunities Sophos is working to unlock in secu- rity as a service.

Google Cloud’s channel leader was key to creating new programs and incen- tives for partners around generative AI. Ichhpurani has helped partners create new playbooks, use cases and go-to-market strategies targeting specific verticals to drive AI adoption.

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AUGUST 2023

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