Expereo Taps First Orion, Birch Alum for U.S. Channel SalesExpereo Taps First Orion, Birch Alum for U.S. Channel Sales

Expereo said it's increasing its focus on the indirect sales channel.

James Anderson, Senior News Editor

January 29, 2025

3 Min Read
Expereo partners
Expereo's Mike Otting

Vitruvian-backed managed internet services provider Expereo announced a new leader for its U.S. channel partners.

Mike Otting will serve as senior vice president of channel in the U.S. According to Expereo, his appointment reflects a deepened commitment to American partners.

Otting, a 20-year telecom sales and channel veteran, takes responsibility for Expereo's channel strategy. The company states that he'll build partnerships and oversee partner enablement programs. Asked if Expereo has any details on those fronts, Otting said the company is putting focus on "process and procedure."

"A big focus of our team will be showing up every day to make sure our partners understand our solutions so they can effectively sell them. Having confidence in partners’ ability to grasp the intricacies of your company’s product or solution has long been the goal when working closely with a large network of distributors," Otting told Channel Futures. "My objective is to demonstrate that Expereo is easy to work with, and to empower our team to stand alongside our distributors so they can help their customers successfully navigate their most urgent challenges."

Otting has his focus set on the tech services distributor (TSD)and tech advisor (TA) market. A spokesperson from Expereo told Channel Futures the company is working with six TSDs and 115 agents. Moreover, the company said it is attracting partners "with global aspirations" with its understanding of various local markets across the world.

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"We’re primarily focusing on U.S. agents who can provide that localized expertise that fits with Expereo’s commitment to providing a global, individualized experience for customers. We take great pride in our ‘follow the sun’ approach and being the one hand to shake for all of a partner’s needs," Otting told Channel Futures.

Otting said Expereo is focusing on "growing with the right partners and people in place."

"We want to be seen as a partner’s most trusted advisor, closely collaborating with local agents and tech solution distributors to provide the best experience possible," he said.

Who Is Mike Otting?

Otting's career includes a 15-year stint at Birch Communications. By the end of that tenure, he was leading B2B and B2B sales and worked with Birch's Tempo Wireless lifeline division.

Otting most recently worked at First Orion, leading the branded communications provider's channel sales. Specifically, he worked with platform and wholesale partners. Otting in 2022 told Channel Futures that the company was starting relationships with tech services distributors. According to a news release from Expereo, First Orion was driving more than $14 million in channel revenue.

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Prior to First Orion, Otting led sales at Inside Response. He also worked in channel management roles at Net2phone and Broadvoice.

"I’ve had broad experience working with different partners, and local agents in particular, helping them overcome challenges like modernizing their tech stack and addressing concerns like network reliability," Otting said.

Vitruvian Partners in 2021 bought the majority of Expereo from Apax Partners. The company in 2024 announced former Vodafone exec Ben Elms as its CEO.

“The channel continues to be a foundation of our success in the U.S. market,” Elms said. “Mike’s vast experience building and scaling effective channel sales organizations will further drive our objective of being the most trusted partner for global connectivity solutions.”

Expereo earlier this month announced a reseller agreement with Starlink.

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About the Author

James Anderson

Senior News Editor, Channel Futures

James Anderson is a senior news editor for Channel Futures. He interned with Informa while working toward his degree in journalism from Arizona State University, then joined the company after graduating. He writes about SD-WAN, telecom and cablecos, technology services distributors and carriers. He has served as a moderator for multiple panels at Channel Partners events.

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