Meet Channel Futures’ 2023 Channel Influencers, EMEA
We’re putting the most important list of channel leaders in the industry on an international stage.
March 29, 2023
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Margaret Adam
Strategic Industry Marketer
Margaret Adam spent 13 years influencing firms’ go-to-market and channel strategies at IDC. After a period at as senior partner marketing lead at Tableau, she now considering new opportunities.
“I think influence comes in multiple formats,” she explained. “Something I did when I was an analyst was being really the voice of partners. Voice of partners into customers, towards the partners into vendors. And being able to articulate the value that partners provide and how important they are, in terms of your strategy.”
Ghazal Asif
Vice President of Global Partners & Alliances
Rubrik
“Sometimes, there’s no substitute for hard work.”
That’s according to Ghazal Asif, who runs Rubrik’s global channel strategy
“Sometimes we focus and obsess over this idea of work-life balance,” she explained. “Sometimes you just have to make the conscious decision that at some moment in your life, your work is your priority. Another moment in your life, your home life is your priority. And over time, those priorities change.”
Celine Cazali
UKI Chief Partner Officer
SAP
Celine Cazali is excited to be part of a community helping to shape the channel. But she also recognises that nobody can do it alone — even as an influencer. “This is all about collaboration and having a clear vision and sense of direction,” she said.
The 13-year SAP veteran believes influence is all about inspiring people to join you on a journey. “It is about instilling trust and a sense of purpose with authenticity.”
Elisabeth De Dobbeleer
Vice President, EMEA Global Partner Organization
Cisco
For the duration of Elisabeth De Dobbeleer’s career at Cisco, she has worked with partners. But this was transported to a grand stage when she assumed leadership of the vendor’s EMEA partner organization in 2020.
Originally from Belgium where she is currently based, De Dobbeleer said working directly with partners has been a source of growth for her, both professionally and personally. “Especially now, as we are in the age of the partner, I believe we can really make a difference together,” she said.
Stuart Fenton
Chair
Akari
Having sold Quantiq to Avanade in 2021, Stuart Fenton recently acquired Glasgow-based partner Akari Solutions.
In Fenton’s view there are “an awful lot of people who are incredibly noisy, who have either little or a lot to say, but there’s no content within it.
“For me, a channel influencer would be someone who has been successful in the channel, probably in a leadership position and is known for making a difference. In fact, the people with the greatest potential to influence often don’t, and the people with the least to say often talk loads.”
Jason Howells
Vice President of International Sales
Barracuda MSP
Jason Howells is responsible for MSP revenues and business strategy Internationally at Barracuda Networks. He said it’s inspiring to be seen as an influencer, given the fast pace of change in the channel.
“We’re all trying to move forward and make sure that we’re doing the best for our customers,” he said. “To be seen as an influencer whilst that change is going on, and helping to be part of that change, is an exciting prospect.”
Estelle Johannes
Senior Director, Member Communities
CompTIA
Estelle Johannes leads the global communities for CompTIA. For the past eight years, she has worked with the channel to understand its challenges and identify best practices and accelerators to success.
“We are very lucky to be a part of an industry that is trying to move the needle forward,” she said. “It’s a misconception that it’s not an easy industry to get into. I want to champion that the industry is open to anyone. We want to break down the barriers and say, ‘the channel or the technology industry is something that is open to anybody.’
Greg Jones
Vice President of Business Development, EMEA
Datto, a Kaseya Company
Datto’s Greg Jones goes above and beyond for the MSP community. “I owe a lot to the MSP community because they’re my family on the road. They’ve massively helped me get where I am because it’s all about knowledge, sharing information and support.”
Jones sees the role of influencer as “somebody who makes you stop and challenge the status quo.
“For me, it’s about somebody that makes you stop and think, ‘is this the right decision?’ They give you more knowledge and education, they share things with you. And really just make you into a better person.”
Miriam Murphy
CEO Europe
NTT Ltd.
Miriam Murphy is well known as a senior leader within EMEA distribution. However, she left the world of distribution in 2022, taking up the post of CEO of NTT Ltd in Europe.
An Irish native, Murphy has lived in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France and Belgium over the course of her career, regarding herself as a true citizen of Europe. And she’s proud to be part of a tech industry that is at the front of transformation. “We’re at a moment in time where digital transformation is influencing all of our society,” she said.
Patricia Murphy
Vice President of Ecosystems EMEA & LATAM
Palo Alto Networks
Patricia Murphy says there are three strategic pillars that shape how Palo Alto Networks conducts business with partners. The first is around driving scalable growth. The second is around simplification and empowerment. The final pillar is based on people and trust.
Murphy said Palo Alto’s overarching channel philosophy is based on viewing partners as an extension of its own sales force. “How we how do we go to market together?” she asked. “How do we innovate differently together? How do we build new types of services that allow us to serve our customers better?”
Hayley Roberts
CEO
Distology
Distology CEO Hayley Roberts isn’t one for stereotypes. In fact, she actively advocates for women from non-traditional backgrounds to consider the IT channel.
Describing her own background as “non-linear”, Roberts said: “We’re trying to tell women or young girls that we should be hitting certain points. That you follow this line, that you should feel a certain way. Absolute rubbish. Everybody’s got a unique story. How amazing is that? You want to hear that unique story.”
Alex Tatham
Global Client & Marketing Director
NCS Global
Alex Tatham is a well-known figure in the U.K. channel, having spent 25 years in distribution, with the last 14 years at Westcoast. He left Westcoast in 2022 for a new role at reseller NCS Global, where he is client and marketing director.
Tatham said he is delighted to be considered an EMEA influencer. “My new business is truly a global business. As a result, I’m looking to make sure that my influence extends well beyond the U.K.,” he said.
David Terry
Vice President, IT Channels
Schneider Electric Europe
David Terry has two passions in his career. The first is driving change with the IT channel, and more recently, helping channel partners accelerate their net zero ambitions.
Terry said it’s an honor to be considered an influencer. “Schneider Electric spends a lot of its time trying to convince our partners and the IT industry around power, around sustainability. So it comes at a very good time for us because the industry as a whole is disruptive; there’s a lot of change happening.”
Rob Tomlin
Vice President, UK Channel
Dell Technologies
Rob Tomlin has been commended by several of Dell’s top U.K. partners for his efforts to foster closer relationships in recent years. That approach seems to be paying off, with Tomlin describing Dell’s channel business as going “from strength to strength.”
“Over 60% of our business now goes through the channel,” said Tomlin. “I’d like to hope we’ve helped partners understand how to collaborate better with Dell, and vice versa.”
Rob Tomlin
Vice President, UK Channel
Dell Technologies
Rob Tomlin has been commended by several of Dell’s top U.K. partners for his efforts to foster closer relationships in recent years. That approach seems to be paying off, with Tomlin describing Dell’s channel business as going “from strength to strength.”
“Over 60% of our business now goes through the channel,” said Tomlin. “I’d like to hope we’ve helped partners understand how to collaborate better with Dell, and vice versa.”
In February, Channel Futures unveiled its prestigious list of nearly 50 Channel Influencers. These vendor executives, partners, analysts and sales consultants represent the cream of the crop in the channel. They are passionate about their work both within their businesses and advocating for the channel at large. And they all shared one thing in common — they hail from North America.
So it’s time to turn our attention to 2023 Channel Influencers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia (EMEA). Our list of Channel Influencers deserved to expand into this part of the world. Many of the leaders our edit team selected for this list share traits associated with our Influencers from North America. First and foremost, they believe in the huge role the channel plays in the tech industry. Furthermore, they all made headlines in 2022 and we expect they will continue to do so the remainder of this year.
For instance, take Elisabeth De Dobbeleer, vice president, Cisco EMEA global partner organization. Based in Belgium, working with partners has helped her grow both personally and professionally.
“We are in the age of the partner,” De Dobbeleer told Channel Futures.
You can download our Channel Futures Channel Influencers EMEA yearbook here. You can also go here for our image gallery featuring 2023 North America Channel Influencers or here for our digital issue dedicated to those honorees. |
Then there’s Greg Jones, vice president of business development, EMEA, Datto, a Kaseya company. He sees himself as a challenger of the status quo.
“In tech, we really can’t slow down because the market and the industry are moving so fast,” Jones told us. “You need to keep ahead of the curve.”
Humility is a common theme among our Influencers. Most point to their team or someone who blazed a trail to set them up for success.
See our slideshow above to learn about the 14 people Channel Futures has identified as our 2023 Channel Influencers, EMEA. We’re putting the most important list of channel leaders in the industry on an international stage.
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