Acronis’ Leigh Nordhoff

“Partners wants a more productive relationship with their vendors.”

Leigh Nordhoff is head of commercial sports partnerships EMEA, Acronis.

CF: How long have you worked in the channel?

LN: I have worked in the channel for 16 years and have been with Acronis for the last five-and-a-half years. Acronis is the first company I have worked for that provides women with amazing opportunities, promotes inclusivity and encourages women to be leaders.

CF: What’s your favourite part of your job?

LN: The best part of my job is seeing our service providers and cloud distributors grow their business and promote their brand via the power of our #TeamUp programme. This programme allows service providers to get involved with major sports teams and support Acronis cyber protection products and services on our behalf. It’s great to see the excitement on people’s faces when they see their company branding on a Formula One car or live at a stadium during a football game. Acronis is the only brand that is able to offer such services to our partners.

With more than 50 sports teams in our portfolio, it’s great to pass on some benefits to our partners and help them use it to grow their business. In addition to branding, social media exposure and case studies, partners can let their customers experience VIP hospitality, meet sports legends and spend time with team executives. It’s a great experience that they will remember. It’s very powerful to help build business relationships. So it’s been great to develop this programme here at Acronis and see it perform so well in real life.

CF: What are some of the biggest changes you’re seeing in the channel today?

LN: Channel partners have begun to look for a productive relationship with their vendors. Transactional relationships limited to receiving invoices and generating license keys are making way for dynamic relationships where partners can receive much more from a vendor. We aim to develop a working relationship with each partner. Our goal is to help our partners get more customers and grow their business. Partners are the heart of our business: their success is our success.

CF: Is there one thing you believe channel organisations and vendors can do to encourage or enable more women leaders?

LN: Provide women (and everyone) with an opportunity to grow and develop professionally within the company. Reward creativity and success of women. Lead by example.

CF: What can we expect from your company in 2022?

LN: We will continue releasing new software features, support our partners via the #CyberFit Partner Programme, and provide unique opportunities and marketing benefits to help grow their business. It’s going to be a great year for the company and our partners and I’m excited to be a part of it.