CHANNEL CHIEF
For MICHAEL WILSON , Senior Manager Sub-Saharan Africa
Channel at VMware, it is imperative that trust exists between channel
partners and a vendor.
D
Describe your current job role and
what parts do you find challenging
I am the Channel Manager for VMware Sub
Saharan Africa, responsible for overseeing
the channel team and all channel-led sales
whether it be through traditional routes,
alliances, or global partners/OEMs. I’ve
found that my day-to-day challenges include
time management and resource allocation.
I oversee a massive channel comprised of
many VMware resellers and partnerships.
Ultimately, I would love to pay more
attention to detail to each function daily, but
the time in the day is always limited when
doing so, so I have a big juggling act to do as
I am a bit of a perfectionist.
Explain how your company works
with channel partners
VMware is a 99% channel focused company.
We continue to invest in and grow our
channel, as they are our primary route to
market and they will continue to be over the
long term. I truly believe the channel is an
extension of the VMware team.
How do you ensure that channel
partners flourish in a highly
competitive market?
I believe that success is sure to follow in
any relationship when there is honesty and
good communication. It’s important that
trust exists between channel partners and a
vendor. They need to understand each other
as they should work cohesively together and
achieve results that makes everyone feel like
they’re winning when they’re collaborating.
Not all partners can do everything for a
client. On occasions, partners do not like the
honesty, but they certainly do respect it. We
also support our clients through training,
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incentive programmes and a focus on
relationship building between our teams.
What are the latest trends
emerging across the channel?
Firstly, the growth of niche channel partners
which are thriving since the inception of the
cloud era.
Another trend that I’ve witnessed is
the fall from grace that legacy partners
are undergoing due to them struggling to
compete against cloud native companies
(partners). They have set too much focus,
capital and time on systems that don’t give
them the agility to understand and provide a
cloud offering and this has left them weighed
down, making them unable to be as dynamic
as their niche cloud native counterparts.
Michael Wilson, Senior Manager Sub-Saharan
Africa Channel at VMware
It’s important that
trust exists between
channel partners and
a vendor. They need to
understand each other
as they should work
cohesively together and
achieve results that
makes everyone feel like
they’re winning when
they’re collaborating.
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