Joseph Landes, Nerdio Channel Chief

Early days with Clark: In the late 1990s when Landes first joined Microsoft, he recalls traveling to Huntsville, Alabama, with Clark to meet with Intergraph, the now-defunct workstation vendor. “I was only at Microsoft for two years and there was a lot I didn’t know,” Landes said. “He was new to Microsoft, but he had worked at IBM for a lot of years, and he was a savvy salesperson.” Since that trip, the two have remained in close contact throughout the years, often meeting informally, Landes said.

Clark as Microsoft channel chief, was it a surprise? “I didn’t know he was interested in that role,” Landes said. “It makes sense to me because he’s always been someone who likes spending time with partners.”

What to expect: “Rodney has some more recent experience with cutting-edge technologies like IoT,” Landes said. “And that’s a very cool thing because there’s a whole new set of partners that will probably get some incremental attention. But I think the challenge for Microsoft is all about reinforcing and reiterating the priorities of the company. I’m sure Rodney will continue to do that as well.”