https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

People on the Move


Shutterstock

Shake-up, reorganization

More Rackspace Channel Program Upheaval: Lisa McLin Is Out

  • Written by Kelly Teal
  • January 24, 2022
Find out who’s been named to succeed McLin, as well as Michael Stephens, who left last week.

Lisa McLin is no longer head of the Rackspace channel program.

Rackspace's Lisa McLin

Lisa McLin

“She went on just to pursue another opportunity,” a spokesperson confirmed to Channel Futures on Monday. “She’s been here for a long time. The time was just right for her to go explore other opportunities.”

Indeed, McLin worked at Rackspace for almost 20 years. She rounded out that tenure as global vice president alliances and channel chief. McLin, whose LinkedIn profile shows her as continuing to hold the job, led the managed cloud computing company’s channel program for almost five years. That slightly exceeds the typical shelf life for an executive in such a role.

“The industry average is 4.2 years for large company channel chiefs,” Forrester principal analyst Jay McBain has told Channel Futures.

Here’s our list of channel people on the move in December. Also be sure to check out our list of the most noteworthy people on the move in all of 2021!

McLin’s departure comes just a few days after that of Michael Stephens, indicating that Rackspace’s channel program has been under some pressure. (Stephens told Channel Futures he had met all his goals for the Rackspace channel program and he was ready to “find the next big challenge.”)

But Rackspace appears to have been planning for the shifts, as it has already named replacements for both McLin and Stephens.

Who’s Running the Rackspace Channel Program Now?

First up, Renee Taylor succeeds McLin, with a slightly different title of vice president of global alliances and channel chief. The company also has promoted Vicki Patten to director of channel sales and agent channel chief, filling the role Stephens vacated. She moves up from her previous role as global partner manager.

Rackspace's Renee Taylor

Rackspace’s Renee Taylor

Taylor comes to Rackspace from technology consulting giant Capgemini. At Capgemini, she served as Amazon Web Services partner sales executive and cloud portfolio alliance leader. Before that, Taylor held sales and partner-management roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Taylor has worked in different aspects of technology for 25 years, including in leadership, sales, alliances and business development in IT infrastructure, and cloud and digital transformation across enterprise, federal and public sector customers.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this incredible organization and group of partners,” Taylor wrote in a blog. “I look forward to spending quality time with our Rackspace partners and understanding where we can continue to support you in your rapidly transforming businesses, providing world-class solutions and fanatical support throughout 2022 and into the future.”

Patten, meanwhile, is a familiar face to partners, having been in the Rackspace channel program since August 2017. She now fills the role vacated by Stephens.

Rackspace's Vicki Patten

Rackspace’s Vicki Patten

“I look forward to continuing to build business continuity and grow partnerships in the channel that allow our partners to thrive and bring immense value to their customers,” Patten said.

Patten boasts more than 30 years in the technology sector. She has worked for companies including MultiTek global, Oracle and Sungard Availability Services.

Changes Rackspace Is Promising for the Channel Program

To be sure, the Rackspace channel program is going through changes. Rackspace isn’t saying why, although it is promising the following:

  • A higher level of support for strategic partners.
  • Consistent and improved communications.
  • Better analytics for enhanced productivity.
  • Improved sales campaign tools.
  • Consistent strategies and solutions for the Rackspace portfolio.

Reading between the lines, these bullet points indicate where the Rackspace channel program has lagged.

But Rackspace seems to be taking the proverbial bull by the horns. In addition to implementing the aforementioned changes, the company already plans for Taylor and Patten to meet with resellers at the upcoming 2022 Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. That’s key. It’s critical for vendors to put their channel leaders in front of partners and give them unscripted time together (something Forrester’s McBain has lamented about AWS).

Overall, look for both evolution in the Rackspace channel program throughout the coming year. In its blog, Rackspace says that, “coming off 40% growth in 2021,” the company will “continue to provide a fanatical experience for our channel partners.”

Rackspace teams with the top public and private cloud vendors. It then offers channel partners managed IT services, including for apps, hosting, colocation and security.

Want to contact the author directly about this story? Have ideas for a follow-up article? Email Kelly Teal or connect with her on LinkedIn.

 

Tags: Cloud Service Providers MSPs People on the Move Business Models Channel Chatter Cloud Sales & Marketing Strategy

Most Recent


  • AI and Cloud
    Generative AI and Cloud: Google, Salesforce, Bessemer, BCG Chime In
    Plus non-AI news from OVHcloud and TD Synnex. Yeah, we’re breathing a sigh of relief, too.
  • IT Nation Secure Solutions Pavilion 2023 Feature
    IT Nation Secure Images: Solutions Pavilion with ThreatLocker, SentinelOne, Cisco, Trend Micro, More
    This week's Solutions Pavilion included a record number of exhibitors.
  • Cisco's Jeetu Patel on stage at Cisco Live 2023, Cisco Webex
    Cisco Webex Gets Generative AI Boost, AT&T Network Integration
    In the meantime, AT&T is targeting SMBs with a new self-service platform.
  • Imperva partner program redesigned with 3 tiers
    Imperva Partner Program Redesigned with 3 New Tiers
    Partners can engage in one of four go-to-market strategies.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Vice President
    Unisys Picks Rackspace Vet as Global Vice President of Alliances, Channel Chief
  • New job
    Microsoft Vet Looks Forward to Role as New Global Channel Sales Leader at Intel
  • CEO's chair and desk, plus nameplate
    STG Names Cisco Vet as New McAfee Enterprise CEO
  • Clouds
    Prosimo Courts MSPs, VARs, SIs to 'Select' New Channel Program

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 11, 2024 - March 14, 2024

Galleries

View all

Generative AI and Cloud: Google, Salesforce, Bessemer, BCG Chime In

June 7, 2023

IT Nation Secure Images: Solutions Pavilion with ThreatLocker, SentinelOne, Cisco, Trend Micro, More

June 7, 2023

Channel Cloud Challenges Abound: Pax8, Dell, VMware, Rackspace Talk

June 7, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Identity Is Increasingly Valuable – and Targeted

May 18, 2023

Gaining a Competitive Advantage through AV Managed Services

May 10, 2023

How to Build an Organization That Attracts and Retains Talent

May 1, 2023

Webinars

View all

From Problem to Profit: Mastering the Science of Selling Using Business Outcomes

May 9, 2023

Meet the 2023 Channel Futures Channel Influencers

April 13, 2023

DE&I Dialogue: How the Right DE&I Initiatives Can Propel Your Business

April 5, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode No. 123: MartinWolf M&A Advisors, CP Expo Preview

UScellular Takes On Rivals with Partner Program Simplicity

April 21, 2023

OpenText Simplifying Deal Registration, Doubling Down on MDF

April 21, 2023

Everything-as-a-Service: CloudBlue Touts Critical Customer Transition

April 18, 2023

Twitter

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X