Bull's Eye Awards: Chief Executives of the Year - CONTENDER
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Mark Hurd
When Mark Hurd joined HP as CEO nearly five years ago, there was, as
there always is with such change, a period of initial uncertainty and
apprehension within HP’s partner ranks. Top of mind: What does the new
guy think about indirect channels and will his hiring be a good move or
a bad move for my business? When HP bought services giant EDS in the
spring 2008, even more eyebrows were popping in the channel.
But
fast forward to today, and you’ve got to hand it to Hurd. There have
been some fits and starts, but partners are benefiting greatly from the
soup-to-nuts data center story at HP – and even in the abysmal economy
are making money. Hurd has engendered the good will and loyalty of many
channel partners with his willingness to meet with them regularly in an
advisory council setting. Partners have called HP’s Executive
Roundtable series one of the most effective channel support programs in
the industry, effectively providing solution providers with insights
and tips they need to uncover millions of dollars of net new revenue.
One area that got special attention in early 2009, which Hurd
backed, was the move to help partners target and win new business in
the $55 billion SMB space. HP added expanded deal registration and
special rebates for consultations for partners working with SMB end
users. HP’s SMB Elite marketing tool is meant to help partners deliver
superior SMB customer experiences. SMB Elite partners get “Elite” HP
branding, dedicated SMB sales support and marketing funds for demand
generation activities, as well as priority SMB-specific customer leads
and an enhanced partner locater.
Hurd has maintained commitments to the channel and has been publicly
supportive of his team’s indirect efforts. For that reason, he is the
Contender among this year’s Bull’s Eye Award’s CEOs of the Year.
