In the channel, vendor and distributor relationships are often the backbone of many technology deals. Channel Insider spoke with Sammy Kinlaw, VP of North American channels, to learn more about how that partnership has changed over time and why he remains committed to building success with distributors like Climb.
Partner acquisition, retention, and growth: why distribution still matters to Thales
Thales is a cybersecurity and data protection vendor that has been available to Climb partners for the past several years. The vendor recently acquired Imperva and collaborates with channel partners worldwide to deliver its comprehensive range of solutions to customers in highly regulated industries.
“I view distribution as a way in which you can enable, empower, and invest in your partners,” said Kinlaw, who has worked both for vendors and a large distributor in his career. “We rely on partners like Climb to help our partners with things like billing, provisioning, enablement resources and additional engineering needs.”
Kinlaw also acknowledges that the industry is rapidly changing, with the rise in popularity of cloud marketplaces and end-user buyers wanting self-service capabilities. Still, he sees immense value in working with the Climb team.
“When I see other vendors saying they don’t need distribution, I tell them good luck,” Kinlaw said. “The scale of what distribution can provide you is so much faster in terms of building a partner base than what you can do on your own. For a vendor to re-create the whole thing on their own is cost-prohibitive.”
How vendor channel execs stay focused on long-term vision for partners
Kinlaw is responsible for the overarching strategy guiding Thales’ channel markets in North America. While the leaders reporting to him are focused on executing plans for the rest of this year, Kinlaw already has his eyes set on the future.
“I’m absolutely already planning for 2026,” said Kinlaw. “We need to think about where the industry is going and what our partners will need from us. We’re thinking through how product will be procured differently and understanding the demand for things like marketplaces while also understanding partner needs.”
Kinlaw said he works internally and with Thales’ partners to identify these trends, but he also collaborates closely with Climb leadership to share insights and develop mutual plans to drive revenue growth over time.
“They’re really our vehicle for finding new revenue streams,” Kinlaw said. “One of my favorite things about Climb is the access we have to their C-suite leadership. It’s really unparalleled how often we talk with them.”
Climb continues to grow at a rapid pace
Thales reports exponential growth through Climb over the past few years, and for its part, Climb has also continued to post strong results.
In comparing the full year 2024 to the full year results of 2023, Climb reports:
- Net sales increased 32% to $465.6 million.
- Net income increased 51% to $18.6 million or $4.06 per diluted share.
- Adjusted EBITDA increased 61% to $39.6 million.
That growth is an indicator that Climb’s strategy to stay narrowly focused on emerging tech is paying off for the distributor and the vendors and partners it works with.
“We could go bigger and wider, but that’s really not what we want to do,” CEO Dale Foster told Channel Insider in March. “The value we bring to our customers is that we focus on bringing emerging technologies to the market. There could be 10 more ‘Climbs’ in the market, and we probably still wouldn’t have much competition. We have to focus on what fits into our core pillars and what our partners need.”
For Kinlaw, that commitment is the cornerstone of a successful partnership and not something he sees from others in the market.
“The level of passion and involvement Climb shows to us and to our mutual partners is really refreshing,” Kinlaw said.
Climb also recently welcomed Darktrace to its linecard. Catch up on what the agreement brings to North American partners.