Phylip Morgan, Pax8
Phylip Morgan is the chief revenue officer at Pax8 EMEA. As CRO, Phylip drives the international expansion of Pax8, constantly pushing boundaries to open new markets. He also develops, plans, and executes strategic initiatives that drive the company's channel growth and exposure globally. Through Phylip's efforts, Pax8 is leading the digital transformation worldwide.
Phylip has spent over 30 years helping various technology companies expand globally and achieve significant success. He has led several companies as Chairman and Director and founded nine of his own, empowering organizations to become operationally efficient and effective through technology.
Phylip holds an MA in Missional Leadership from Bangor University, is the pastor and co-founder of Calon Church, and sits on the board for several companies and non-profits. He enjoys working with small business owners and spending time with his wife and three daughters.
Number of years in current role:
Over one year.
Number of years in current company:
Over 3 years.
Number of years involved in indirect/channel sales:
30
Reports to:
Harald Nuij, CEO of Pax8 EMEA
What percentage of overall sales come through the channel?
100 per cent
What is your personal channel philosophy?
The current channel ecosystem needs updating to cater to a new type of audience. As global businesses in a wide range of industries move towards subscription-based models for their solutions, the channel should do the same and implement different services that appeal to the customer's desire for convenience and novel experiences.
In the billing process, multiple subscriptions should be combined into a single invoice to simplify the payment process. Meanwhile, providing networking opportunities and industry-leading PSA tools is essential to adding value to create long-lasting relationships.
What were your biggest personal channel accomplishments over the past year?
Phylip has played an important role in driving innovation. In June, Pax8 revealed its ground-breaking plans for the future of its marketplace. Fuelled by AI, this transformation features a dynamic dashboard that provides users with 24/7 access to an automatically updating marketplace, tailored to maximise utility.
What were your organisation's biggest channel accomplishments over the past year?
In November 2022, Pax8 opened its new office in Bristol. The opening was designed to further propel the significant growth that Pax8 has accomplished over the past two years across EMEA, and provide a state-of-the-art, inclusive space for employees to work comfortably and efficiently.
In April 2023, Emma Wade-Smith OBE, HM Consul General and Trade Commissioner for North America visited Pax8's flagship office in Bristol. During her visit, she was impressed by Pax8's culture canvas, designed by staff, which fosters an environment where employees can be their authentic selves at work.
At the beginning of this year, Pax8 acquired Bam Boom Cloud, an award-winning Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central services organisation. The acquisition creates a new market opportunity for managed service providers to easily add new lines of business service offerings leveraging Bam Boom's Microsoft Dynamics expertise.
In March 2023, Pax8 announced that Adobe will be available to purchase on its marketplace across Europe, including the UK. Pax8's partners in the region will now have access to a portfolio of first-class cloud products and access to the world's leading software company for providing digital marketing and media solutions.
What areas would you like to see your channel partners invest in in 2024?
We would like to see our partners leverage artificial intelligence to unlock efficiencies across their businesses. As a company that is passionate about SMBs, we really see this as the 'great equaliser' for our community.
For MSPs, automating repetitive tasks, or enabling their employees to do more with AI will allow our partners to continue evolving the way they serve their customers, and in turn, unlock positive business outcomes.
What are the biggest challenges facing your partners in 2024?
Many of the new generation of buyers within the channel prefer a subscription-based model to purchase their products and channel partners must be able to adapt to meet this demand. In addition, customers' expectations have increased, and they now demand a seamless purchasing experience, anytime, anywhere.
Therefore, the current distribution model needs to ensure customers aren't underserved by reviewing and updating its current methods.
In what ways do you use your role to build equity and inclusion?
As the channel chief, I am committed to building equity and inclusion within our company and in the industry. I believe that diversity is a source of strength and innovation and that it aligns with our core values and vision. I communicate this message regularly to our employees and partners and encourage them to share their perspectives and feedback.
Describe how your use of market development funds (MDF) is changing this year?
In 2023, our strategy will focus on helping partners gain as much MDF as possible. While we have continuously educated our partners on the programmes and how to claim funds, we will work with them to determine additional MDF opportunities and identify unused funds.
As the economy remains uncertain, partners need to take advantage of all the money available to them and should treat MDF as another revenue stream. Additionally, MDF activities aim to acquire new customers and drive solution adoption, which increases revenue growth.
What are your biggest channel priorities in 2024?
We're looking to revamp our existing channel programme and improve partner profitability.