Sales & Marketing Awards 2024: Q&A with Selina Wilson, EMEA marketing manager, Climb Channel Solutions

In this sponsor Q&A, Selina Wilson talks about Climb's most recent wins and the value of sponsoring the SMAs

CRN: What would winning this award mean to your company?

SW: Awards often focus on the success of the company as a whole. The CRN Sales and Marketing Awards show appreciation for and recognition of individual teams and how they contribute to the overall success of a business.

Recognising the teams that make it all happen and putting hard work in is amazing and makes these awards stand out. Climb is nominated in three categories this year for our marketing efforts across digital and events, as well as a rising star nomination for our Marketing Executive, Kyle King. It would mean the world to the team to win one of these awards.

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

SW: Climb has expanded its reach in the UK & Ireland by acquiring well-known Irish-based distributor DataSolutions. We have been working on establishing ourselves as an international player by refreshing our brand to reflect Climb's worldwide reach, launching a new global website, and collaborating more closely with our colleagues across the pond. With brand awareness rising, we are now focusing on streamlining our operations to support the company's growth across EMEA.

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

SW: Climb's strategy to bring new emerging technologies to the market combined with our great reputation as a distribution partner that simply "gets it", means that we are frequently approached by vendors wanting to build a worldwide relationship with us. We therefore need to review vendors carefully to ensure we are the best fit for one another. Trying to ensure we are selective but also don't miss out on future winners is always a bit of a balancing act. Fortunately, we have decades of experience within our business and our open and collaborative way of working means that we get to benefit from that experience when making decisions.

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

SW: The channel continues to be a fast-paced and exciting place to work - how we work and use technology like AI to enhance our working lives is perhaps one of the most obvious changes over the past year.

Further, the focus has shifted even more to sustainability and how we can support a better tomorrow as an industry. That is great to see and so important in the face of climate change.

I think there continues to be more that we can do in encouraging diversity in the channel. While this is not new, this is an area where I believe there is still work to be done, especially in management positions. As someone who had no idea of the IT channel before starting, I enjoy the changes that have already happened, but I think it's important to recognise the benefits that diversity brings to ensure the IT industry continues to thrive by attracting the best talent.

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?

SW: </strongIt's been coming for a long time and we see it discussed as a main topic at every conference and partner kick-off – AI. More vendors are introducing AI modules or features to their solution and if implemented correctly, it will be a great opportunity for the channel and for businesses. We're looking at more vendors that offer AI capabilities as well as supporting our long-standing partners with the rollout of their AI message into the channel.