How long has it been since you joined Commvault? What was the most appealing factor about the company that attracted you?
I joined Commvault at the beginning of May 2018. The primary factor that excited me was the level of respect I knew Commvault already had with its key partner ecosystem as a leader in data protection. Add to this the Commvault Data Platform’s ability to easily integrate with the widest range of existing technology offerings means we have a solution that is valuable and scalable for our partners .
What attracted me to Commvault was that there was a recognition in the company that we could do even better at helping our partners be successful, if we simplified what they take to market, and if we were extremely predictable in the way we bring them opportunities we can in turn massively increase revenue, market share in addition to the strategic level of relationships with their customers.
Tell us in brief about your previous roles and experiences? How do you plan to utilize those experience in this organization?
In the 13 years that I was at HP Software, a large part of what I needed to do for the channel was to simplify the message and the solutions that we had to offer, and then to be predictable and consistent when bringing many selling organizations together as a technology OEM partner to the resellers.
At NetApp, what we did for our channel was to be very clear on what we were taking to market and focusing on predictability and consistency in the sales process so that when partners worked with us they knew what to expect.
I will bring these experiences into Commvault as we demonstrate to our partners that we want to help them accelerate their growth in not only our licensing business, but our appliance business, with our HyperScale offering, and our support, services and joint solutions that we have through partners.
What roles and responsibilities does your current role entail?
I’ve joined a routes-to-market organization where I lead our channel globally – we have three major theatres of the world, including EMEA. I am responsible for all distribution and resale of our product indirectly through other companies throughout the countries of the Middle East, Europe and Africa, as well as Asia and the Americas, further globalizing our existing relationships with value-added resellers and value-added distributors.
What are your top 3 priorities for 2018?
My top three priorities can be summed up in three words. First, simplicity – simplifying a partner’s experience through representing Commvault’s solutions to the marketplace.
Secondly, growth – we’re looking at more transactions including Commvault solutions being quoted and taken to market every month this year, which will lead to growth in revenues, and will mean reaching more partners and more customers on a monthly basis.
Finally, expansion – we want to expand what partners are taking to market for Commvault, such as our HyperScale appliance.
In your current role, what is your responsibility towards your customers and partners?
My role will be to enable our partners to represent Commvault in front of customers. In doing this, we will have several responsibilities. We will have partner business managers that build, develop and execute plans with our reselling partners and distributors, and Commvault’s responsibility will be to give those partners – through increased investments in tools, and simplified engagement processes – everything they need to pursue market opportunities with Commvault solutions to customers of all types and sizes.
Tell us any interesting fact about Commvault’s office/employee culture.
Over my earliest weeks here at Commvault, there have been several facts that I have found interesting. One observation I have made is that there is a tremendous amount of pride in the solutions that Commvault brings to market. Our partners like selling the solutions and intellectual property that Commvault brings to market, and that brings a lot of genuine pride to the people employed by this company. Employees across every function within Commvault, from products to marketing and sales, are extremely interested in helping our partners to be successful.