How Channel Leadership is Changing With the Industry

It’s nearly impossible to look anywhere in the channel without hearing about change. From evolving technologies to shifting service models and the ongoing transformation of how businesses approach their tech stack, there is plenty in 2025 that partners might not have seen a decade ago. Channel Insider spoke with various executives at vendors and platform companies across the industry to collect insights on this change.

What partners and vendors now expect from their leaders

Channel chief roles (and other high-level sales positions) are often front-facing representatives of everything a vendor can offer its partners. As such, they have a front-row seat as those offerings evolve to match the buying demands of resellers, solutions providers, and others.

“I’ve seen just a continuing growth in the level of skill, professionalism, and innovation in the channel space since I started my career,” said Cloudli Communications CRO Elinor Johansen. “The ways we are doing business are constantly being refined as the industry matures.”

“The days of vendors setting the agenda has come to an end,” said Lisa Citron, the VP of global partner ecosystem at F5. “Most partners used to be so beholden to the big players, but even the bigger shops have now diversified, so they aren’t as reliant on what any one vendor does.”

As this unfolds, partners are also bringing the value they provide in the mutual success to the forefront of conversations.

“They are standing up for themselves and touting the value they have always brought to vendors and customers,” said Janice Savage, the director of North American channel sales at IGEL Technology. “The shift towards recurring services also means partners know they bring more than just the tech to the equation.”

This value-add and diversification emphasis means partners are working with more vendors than ever before, which means those vendors need to adjust to a new reality in which they fit into a much broader ecosystem.

“The channel really is like a family to me,” said veteran channel chief Michelle Ragusa-McBain. “I have always loved listening to partners and learning from them. But it isn’t like it was before, when I started my career, and partners tended to work with only a few vendors that connected everything.”

M&A activity is another hot topic that only seems to trend upward as the years pass. For Evergreen Servces Group, a holding company with 100 MSP acquisitions under its belt in the last decade, the space continues to grow over time.

“We’re more excited about the channel now than we were when we started,” said Evergreen Services Group Vice President Sydney Hockett. “I definitely don’t think the value add for MSPs is going away, but it is going to evolve.”

The tech is changing, and relationships are, too

Of course, new technologies have also significantly impacted how partners conduct their internal operations and service their customers. As partners see large vendors taking some or all business directly to customers, Savage knows she needs to instill trust in partners if she wants them to do business with IGEL.

“We know partners are starting to see more vendors express an interest in taking their business direct, and while we aren’t, we still need to earn their trust so they believe us when we say we are committed to the channel.”

Johansen also said partners expect their vendors to deliver products and support as they grow.

“Partners want to know they can trust with their customers, and they want to themselves trust that we will keep innovating to bring them new opportunities so they can grow,” Johansen said. “At Cloudli, I want us all to know the ways we are flexible, reliable, and simple to do business with.”

The explosion in GenAI and other AI-enabled solutions has shifted focus to automation and faster enablement. As the world continues to become more interconnected and digital-first, no business can afford to ignore its tech stack.

“Every company is now a technology company, because every company needs to incorporate tech to stay competitive,” Ragusa-McBain said.

How companies go to market for, and with, their channel partners has also evolved to meet the more complex needs of the industry.

“I view marketing as the partnership piece and the glue that can bring everything together,” said Jen Anaya, the chief marketing officer at Ingram Micro. “How do we make sure our partners know everything we have available, but also how can we connect them with each other so they can share expertise. We’re also an aggregator of leadership.”

Inspiring the next generation of female leaders starts at the top

By now, you might (or might not) have noticed that every executive quoted in this story is a woman. As gender equity and other forms of broader diversity still lag in the channel and across tech, all of the leaders in this piece highlight the impact that mentorship, networking, and opportunity have on bringing the next generation of talent into the industry.

“If you want women to start in tech and stay in tech, you have to show them the path,” Savage said. “I want leaders to be transparent about where opportunities are. A lot of times we have to ask repeatedly because no one is showing the future to us.”

“First and foremost at F5, it was about having really receptive leadership,” Citron said.

Hockett acknowledges her journey through the financial and technical industries has at times been difficult, but says her strongest asset has always been her own talent.

“The fastest way to earn respect, in my experience, is to put your head down and do your job well,” Hockett said.

To Ragusa-McBain, acknowledging the gap in equity is not about checking a box but rather about ensuring women are afforded the same opportunity to prove their value and expertise.

“I never want to get a job because I’m X, Y, or Z, but I also don’t want to be held back from opportunity because of those things,” Ragusa-McBain said.

The leaders we spoke to for this piece also emphasized that while progress towards equity remains slow, significant advancements have been made, and the channel experience is better for it.

“I think there are a lot more women in tech and in the channel now than when I started, and that is a good thing, for sure,” Anaya said. “Of course, we still have work to do. I always work towards solving how we enable more women to be a part of how tech is changing the world.”

“This is an industry where you have so many people that come from outside of it,” Savage said. “The different perspectives and ideas and approaches make it all so exciting.”

The Alliance of Channel Women and Cloud Girls are both working to enable women to succeed in the channel. Learn more about why the organizations’ founders and current leaders remain committed to women in technology.