CRN released its list of Top 100 Executives for 2023, honoring vendor and solution provider standouts who are leading the way in IT this year. The prestigious list honors executives excelling in four key categories, including most Influential, innovators, channel sales, and disrupters.
Hitachi Vantara’s superstar Kimberly King, SVP of Strategic Partners and Alliances, earned her spot in the channel sales category, a group defined by CRN as “the top 25 sales executives leading the channel charge.”
CRN describes the winners in this list as the best channel sales leaders “who understand that going the extra mile for solution providers is a win-win that leads to greater growth for both the vendor and the partners on the front lines.”
Expanding into New Services
To compile its annual list of channel sales leaders, CRN selected executives who are driving partner growth and profitability with
- Enhanced programs
- Improved engagement
- Channel-friendly investments.
Many of these leaders are also accelerating recurring revenue opportunities for partners, while helping the channel to expand into new solutions and service areas.
How King Became the Co-creation Queen
Hitachi’s King fits the bill in all categories. CRN notes that King has led the charge at Hitachi Vantara in building closer ties with partners and driving more business their way. She has pushed for co-creation partnerships that rely on trust and collaboration, while launching tools that let partners close deals faster and win new business.
In a recent blog, King describes how she forges successful partner relationships at Hitachi Vantara, especially at a time when the technical landscape around cloud, AI, and automation is evolving at such a rapid pace.
“First and foremost, successful co-creation among partners requires a solid foundation of trust,” she says. “While there should always be trust in a partner relationship, co-creation requires a whole new level. Because when you package a solution that consists of multiple vendor technologies targeted to a customer’s specific business needs, you need to trust that you can rely on your partners.”
King also says that strengthening trust between partners requires her and the team to learn each other’s business granularly and develop lasting relationships in the local market. “We must understand the end user’s needs from a macro and micro level, which can be challenging for a mature partner program.”
All signs point to the fact that King is ready for that challenge--and any others that may come her way.
Learn how King drives success with partnerships.
Meet all of CRN’s Top 100 Executives for 2023.