VMware global channel boss Ricky Cooper tells CRN it's listening to partner concerns

CRN was at VMware's Explore Europe 2022 conference

VMware held its annual Explore Europe conference last week in Barcelona, Spain to give customers and partners an update of its future business strategy.

During a partner-focused panel, the vendor's head of worldwide partner & commercial organisation, Ricky Cooper shone a light on how VMware is helping partners through inflation and foreign exchange issues.

"I think first and foremost it is all about partner profitability," he told the audience.

"By launching Partner Connect 2.0 we're going on that journey with our partners. However, we've got to be flexible right now.

"So the conversations that I'm having, first and foremost, you've got to be visible. It's very easy at the moment with everything we're going through to disappear.

"I've made sure me and the whole team are out with the partners as we go through this very rocky road that we're on right now, with all these different headwinds coming at us."

‘We're here to listen help partners in various different areas'

Cooper referenced conversations he'd had with EMEA partners throughout the event, expressing how important they have been for feedback.

He explained part of helping them over current macroeconomic hurdles involves improving partner programmes - which lead to the creation of Partner Connect 2.0 - as well as listening and understanding.

However he noted that VMware wants to avoid jumping the gun on making significant changes following quick feedback.

"We feel we've got a very good programme in place but we are here to listen and to help partners in various different areas such as headcount, partner profitability, all the things that we can tweak, listening and giving more services to our partners to increase their profitability.

"It's not just from the partner programme we're putting money in, we're increasing profitability in other areas to make this a worthwhile engagement.

"So it's really about listening and being flexible. And every now and then, we're going to make decisions to help partners in certain areas, because every partner is different.

"What we're doing right now listening to the partners is, we're pulling some of them into the other partner relationships that we have as well, after listening and giving them headcount that can help them again, increase their partner profitability.

"There are many different ways but it all starts with listening and understanding the business pressures."