New EMC channel boss keen on 'co-opetition'
Charity will be mixing with technology if EMC’s new general manager of channel, Steve Haddock, has any say in the matter.
The long-time Microsoft staffer – he spent 15 years with the software company both in New Zealand and internationally, before being wooed across to EMC – is keen to see Kiwi technology companies throwing their support behind charity events like April’s Great Adventure Race to Cure Kids - which included the inaugural IT Cup - following a challenge from Haddock and Cisco’s Jennifer Rutherford.
Haddock says 30-40% of the teams this year were from IT companies including Intergen, Provoke, Theta, Cisco and Microsoft – making the sector the strongest single industry in the four-person adventure race. IT companies raised $120,000 across the 13 teams.
"In London, partners were very competitive, but they were also good friends outside of business. It was co-opetition, I guess, and I really like that sense of [the IT channel] being a community,” he says.
Channel ‘absolute priority’
Haddock was appointed to the newly created role of general manager of channel in New Zealand last month, in a move he says is a nod to the importance EMC is placing on the New Zealand reseller channel.
"We’re taking the channel absolutely seriously as a priority – and that’s being driven by Phil [Patton, EMC New Zealand’s country manager]. He has a lot of passion and commitment to the channel. If it’s not driven from the top down, you’re wasting your time,” Haddock adds.
The new role sees Haddock responsible for the overall management of EMC New Zealand’s business partner community. "I know it might be the old school way, but I believe in meeting one on one [with the reseller channel]. I don’t think there’s any unique rocket science formula. It’s about building trust – and trust is earned, not gained.
"We [EMC and channel partners] need each other to be great together.”
He says his first job is to ensure everyone knows the ‘end to end EMC story’.
"I’m not sure enough people in the channel do know it and it’s really important that they do.
"We have a really compelling story covering virtualisation, back-up and recovery, storage, security...”
He says a key goal will be helping channel sales people. "Business is my expertise, not necessarily products. Anything I can do to help sales people be successful has to be good. If I spend all my time working with sales people, I’d be happy. I’m not going to do technology implementations – we have people who do that.
"One thing I’m hot on trying to achieve is walking partners through the first couple of sales but then helping them create sales for themselves, knowing they can do it.”
Check out Haddock’s LinkedIn profile here.
