Mitel Strengthens North American Channel Program With Strategic Initiatives

Published on Monday, 05 December 2011 08:11 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

OTTAWA, Dec. 5, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mitel® (Nasdaq:MITL), a leading provider of Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) software solutions, today announced a series of strategic initiatives designed to significantly strengthen its North American channel program. The announcement includes the addition of several new U.S.-based channel management executives, and the creation of the Authorized Partner Service Program (APSP), which shifts local service support for some of Mitel's product portfolio to the company's channel partners. This program, as well as the new channel management hires, is a reflection of Mitel's ongoing strategic efforts to evolve into a laser-focused channel sales organization. Interested parties can find out more about the APSP and Mitel's channel executives here – http://bit.ly/vwGauh

"Mitel's new Authorized Partner Service Program is a great opportunity for its channel partners, but more importantly, it says to me that Mitel is committed to expanding channel partner revenue opportunities," said Laura Wasson, Voice and Data Systems manager, Tech Electronics, a Mitel channel partner and APSP member. "The progress this company has made in revitalizing its approach to the channel is impressive. I'm very much looking forward to the new opportunities to partner with Mitel."

The Authorized Partner Service Program (APSP) empowers Mitel channel partners by subcontracting with them to deliver local service and support for Mitel's product portfolio in selected areas. As a result, Mitel's channel partners are able to grow their revenue base by providing additional support to Mitel's end customers.

The APSP is another example of the significant progress Mitel has made on the company's stated 3+1 strategy, a key feature of which was to align with the company's channels. Through the lens of the APSP program, this means identifying opportunities where Mitel can shift more business to its channel partners by leveraging them to provide localized support to Mitel end customers. By fulfilling these requests through the channel, Mitel is enabling partners to expand their service portfolios, while utilizing a combination of Mitel and channel partner resources to deliver robust support to Mitel end customers. 

To implement this strategy, Mitel has brought on seasoned channel professionals from Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, NEC, Polycom and other companies that have experience managing billions of dollars in profitable sales in the business communications market. These include:

• Renato Mariani, vice president, Field Marketing, North America –. Formerly with NEC, Mr. Mariani leads all Mitel channel activities for the U.S. and Canada, with specific management responsibility for lead generation, demand creation, channel program development and over-arching channel support.
   
• Stan Holcomb, vice president, Global Services Solutions – Formerly with Avaya, Mr. Holcomb leads Mitel's global services business including developing services strategy, managing the business, offer and program definition, marketing, commercial packaging and market implementation.
   
• Dave Hand, vice president of Sales, Central Region – Mr. Hand comes to Mitel from Nortel, where he was vice president of sales for their global system integrators. Mr. Hand will be responsible for growing Mitel's channel and supporting its partners in the central U.S.
   
• Leo Cortjens, vice president of Sales, Eastern Region – Mr. Cortjens has decades of experience growing the channel at companies such as Polycom and VideoTran. He will be responsible for supporting channel partners in the Eastern U.S.

"Earlier this year we made it clear that one of our primary goals was to align our channels, to eliminate potential business conflicts and create new opportunities for partners to make money and win business," said Phil Keenan, executive vice president, Americas for Sales, Service and Field Marketing. "Today's announcement marks significant progress towards this goal, including shifting our direct service relationships to our channel partners, and bolstering our channel focus with the addition of new channel executives that have an outstanding track record of growing channel programs in this market."

About Mitel

Mitel (Nasdaq:MITL) is a global provider of business communications and collaboration software and services. Mitel's Freedom architecture provides the flexibility and simplicity organizations need to support today's dynamic work environment. Through a single cloud-ready software stream, Mitel delivers a powerful suite of advanced communications and collaboration capabilities that provides freedom from walled garden architectures and enables organizations to implement best-of-breed solutions on any network; extends the "in-office" experience anywhere, on any device; and offers choice of commercial options to fit business needs. For more information visit: http://www.mitel.com

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