Dell Channel Leaders Moved To Direct Sales Roles To Drive Synergies

‘This is another expression and reflection of us just putting strong, channel-savvy, channel leaders in direct sales roles,’ says Cheryl Cook, Dell’s SVP of global partner marketing, in an exclusive interview.

Dell Technologies is moving two of its top channel sales leaders into new direct positions to drive greater synergies between Dell’s internal sales arm and channel partners as part of the company’s ongoing “One Dell Technologies” global sales restructuring.

“This is another expression and reflection of us just putting strong, channel-savvy, channel leaders in direct sales roles,” said Cheryl Cook, Dell Technologies, senior vice president of global partner marketing, in an exclusive interview with CRN. “They know the partners. They’re well trusted. It’s going to be great for our partners because we have leadership driving strategic growth areas for the business who know the partners and who know how to team and engage with the channel.”

Effective today, Dell’s longtime channel sales star Scott Millard is the company’s new head of enterprise acquisition, leading Dell’s charge to win net new enterprise customers. Millard was previously Dell Technologies’ senior vice president of global channel, alliances and OEM specialty sales.

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Millard will report to Fran Bogle, senior vice president and general manager of U.S. acquisition, who reports to John Byrne, who now leads North America sales for Dell Technologies. Dell is currently searching for a suitable candidate to fill Millard’s previous position.

Additionally, Dell’s Kelli Furrer is now head of commercial sales in central U.S. Furrer was previously vice president of Federal Channel and Alliances for Dell, responsible for developing and executing business strategies on three major routes to market: federal systems integrator partners, channel and alliances.

Furrer, who has been at Dell for a decade, will directly report to Jillian Mansolf, senior vice president and general manager of Dell’s U.S. Corporate & Public Sector Sales, who reports to Byrne.

“John Byrne is a big channel advocate leading North America and he’s strengthening his leadership team with these changes,” said Cook (pictured above).

Cook said the strategy of “exporting channel IQ” and Dell’s “strongest channel leaders” into direct sales positions will boost co-selling opportunities and increase net new customer wins. “It’s just another evolution and expression of how we’re trying to align our coverage to best serve our customers, the market opportunity, our partners, and it drives just smoother accountability, localized decision making and velocity,” she said.

In 2020, Dell began its ‘One Dell Technologies’ initiate to realign and transform its global sales structure with the goal of driving more revenue through channel partners. Bill Scannell, president of global sales and customer operations for Dell, said the global channel and sales executive restructuring better suits the company’s mantra of simple, predictable and profitable.

“Now when I have my most senior sales leaders John Byrne and Aongus Hegarty also own the channel, then now I can hold them accountable for the success of the channel,” said Scannell in an interview with CRN last year. “So as we come up with our go-to-market strategy, vision and our programs – it’s not just [global channel chief] Rola [Dagher] and I saying, ‘The channel is important’ — it’s every sales leader around the world saying, ‘OK, we got the marching orders. Now we’ll go execute and grow the business.’ So it’s much tighter alignment and accountability. In life, if you don’t have alignment and accountability, you have nothing.”

Cook said channel partners are going to be pivotal to Dell Technologies’ bullish growth aspirations moving forward.

“The partners play a pivot role in helping us achieve market share gains, new buyer acquisition, data center growth and penetration, cross LOB growth --- the partners will see good engagement from both Kelli and Scott,” she said. “With Kelli and Scott leading both commercial sales and enterprise acquisition, it’s a huge growth opportunity for our partners.”