Dell's new partner boss: 'I grew up in the channel; I bleed partners'

Channel execs and Michael Dell praise the performance of partners during COVID-19 pandemic

Dell's new global channel boss Rola Dagher has reaffirmed her commitment to partners in her maiden speech during Dell Technologies World.

Dagher took over the role from long-standing predecessor Joyce Mullen in September and took the opportunity at the vendor's annual event to pledge her fealty to the channel. She had previously worked in senior roles at Dell until moving to Cisco to head its Canadian operations in 2017.

"People that know me know I grew up in the channel - that's all I know - I bleed partners and it starts and ends with you," she stated in a VT during a session on partnerships at the event.

"I am here to listen, learn and lead through all of you and focus on innovation and speed to market. I've been watching you from the sidelines for the past three years and I've seen the amazing progress in the double-digit growth from VMware, Dell Financial Services (DFS) and across the board with thousands of new customers on board.

"I want to make sure that you know that my commitment will always be focused on your success - you are the foundation of our success today and tomorrow. We create technology; technology is a powerful enabler, but you are the most impactful transformers."

Elsewhere during the session, Dell execs such as sales boss Bill Scannell and senior VP of global channel Cheryl Cook praised partners for their adaptation and abilities to help customers set up projects and pivot to remote working during the pandemic.

Cook touched upon the Dell Cloud Console, which its new Project Apex as-a-service offering will be built around, stating that it shows the vendor's "unwavering" commitment to partnering.

"We are so thrilled to bring you the ability to solve your customers business outcomes through our Dell Technologies Cloud platform with a subscription, all served through the Dell Technologies Cloud Console," she declared.

"With the changes we just announced on simplifying our sales engagement, we're going to increase velocity, mitigate any potential conflict with sales and I'll enable you to win and grow and innovate together.

"We remain committed to our promise of a simple, predictable and profitable programme. The time has never been more important to have trusted partners. Look at the results we've delivered and achieved in the first half. We're working tighter and closer together than ever. Dell Technologies is thrilled to be your partner in good times and challenging times."

CEO and founder Michael Dell also reflected on the success of the channel during a turbulent year and indicated that there are still lots of opportunities for partners around 5G, AI and multicloud, among others.

"The power of partnering has never been more evident and the digital transformation of 2020 is amazing - projects that might have taken years have been completed in months," he stated.

"There is tremendous opportunity for our partners to engage with us on multicloud, edge, data management, networking, security, 5G, AI and machine learning - all areas where we have fantastic capabilities.

"I believe there could be lasting positive results from this very difficult time. If you're like me, you're inspired by how the forces of technology innovation are converging to drive human progress. We are proud to be on this journey with all of you doing this incredibly important work."