The Top 12 Channel Execs - Keith Goodwin

2. Keith Goodwin Senior Vice President, Worldwide Channels, Cisco Systems

Keith Goodwin runs Cisco's channel organization, with over 30,000 partners across the globe. He has been instrumental in recognizing that SMBs will be crucial to the networking giant's future and has put channel programs, such as the Industry Solutions Partner Network, in place to help VARs reach smaller businesses.

Goodwin has helped Cisco to also see the value in partner collaboration, helping ISVs and VARs to partner together to deliver solutions to end users, rather than just point products. Behind this partner collaboration initiative, Goodwin also ensured that financing programs were in place to help partners and their end user to manage their cash flow.