Women & Diversity in Channel Awards 2024: Q&A with Wayne Gratton, Nuvias UC

The distribution CCO talks diversity wins, 2024 milestones and channel opportunities

In the run-up to the Women and Diversity in Channel Awards 2024, CRN sat down with Nuvias UC CCO, Wayne Gratton, to talk about the distie’s sponsorship of the awards and key milestones in 2024.

Wayne joined Nuvias UC as chief commercial officer in September 2023. With over 25 years' experience in distribution and a professional background encompassing roles such as technical director, business analyst & advisor, digital & business development, and VP marketing, Gratton brings a wealth of expertise to Nuvias UC.

He has most recently held European leadership positions, demonstrating a proven track record of success through data-driven strategies and innovative business development programs for partners. He relishes the opportunity to work with Nuvias UC vendors and will focus on helping our channel partners develop their skills and market focus on collaboration solutions.

CRN: Why do you think awards like the WDCAs matter? What would winning this award mean to your company?

WG: Diversity is not just a tick in the box, it is a core value and attribute of an organisation. If an organisation discriminates or fails to embrace any part of society, then we are reducing the talent pool that draw upon. We are removing ideas and potential from our opportunity. That doesn't sound like a good idea, does it?

So, for us, winning the WDCA is a recognition of our ability to embrace the whole of the talent pool available to us. It recognises the spirit of our people to be inclusive and open when making hiring decisions and it means they treat colleagues with respect & support. That is the company we aspire to be, and our people aspire to work for.

CRN: What would you say is your company’s proudest achievement over the past year?

WG: Nuvias UC always aims to stay ahead of the curve and market trends by maintaining regular communication with partners, vendors, and industry analysts. This has enabled us to understand the rise of converged communications early on and identify what is required to help our partners maximise any opportunities. This led to the introduction of our specialist business units.

By splitting our team into specific areas of expertise—Telephony, Meeting Spaces, UCaaS, CCaaS, and services—we have transformed the way we operate, enabling us to align more closely with the needs of our customers. This forward-thinking approach ensures that partners have full support from the Nuvias UC team if they choose to pursue a new opportunity or project outside their usual specialism.

Change is never easy, and I’m incredibly proud of the Nuvias UC team for adapting so quickly. In a constantly evolving market, staying agile is crucial, and our team consistently rises to the challenge, ensuring Nuvias UC’s continued success.

CRN: What have been the biggest challenges of 2024 so far and how have you overcome them? How have your people helped with that?

WG: Some parts of our portfolio are in markets that have seen price erosion or declining volumes. Our team have focused on building out new opportunities and engaging our partners, who are affected by those challenges, to forge new areas of the business, so that we assist our partners in heading to the markets and technologies that are in growth. That is a testament to the character or our people and the trust in our partners.

CRN: How do you think the channel has changed over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

WG: The channel has changed a lot, as so has the market. During the pandemic, especially in the converged communications market, the fish were jumping into the boat. Technology has changed, end users have changed, which has meant partners have needed to adapt to those changes. Which means focusing on end-user productivity, return on investment and investing themselves in new technology and services. in short, we all had to learn to fish again. We believe the channel is on a journey to "Converged Communications", which means each partner has their own starting point and hence unique journey to the new opportunity. Partners will need to offer solutions that drive productivity and clear business outcomes for their customers to stay relevant.

CRN: What do you see as the main opportunities for the channel in the coming year? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

WG: We think there is a fantastic opportunity for partners to enhance their portfolio with solutions and services that delivery truly "Converged Communications". Innovation is key, for example, AI is not just a buzz word or futuristic concept in our market; It delivers benefits today. Whether that is pre-empting retrieval of information predicted to be required during a conversation in a CX solution or more simply, taking the meeting notes and providing a meeting summary & action log.

Our focus for these opportunities is to build an innovative eco-system of solutions, engage and enable our partners and provide services to support them in delivering truly converged & innovative communications solutions to their customers.