CRN Recognizes 5 APC by Schneider Electric Execs in 2017 “Women of the Channel” List

Each year, CRN’s Women of the Channel list recognizes female executives in the IT channel who show outstanding channel expertise and vision in their roles. I’m proud to announce that five outstanding women from APC were included in this year’s CRN list.

What’s more, two of our executives – Shannon Sbar and Leslie Vitrano – were selected to the Power 100 List of “the most powerful women of the channel” for 2017. Another, Katie Boeh, was included in the “Up and Comers” list, which “highlights the rising female stars whose insight and influence help drive channel success.” Rounding out the selections from APC are Claudia Massey, Director, Strategic Programs, IT Channels, and Dawn Rundell, Director, eCommerce Channel Sales.

I couldn’t agree more with these selections as this team of executives have worked tirelessly to help deliver solutions that ensure availability and reliability, as well as an improved partner experience. At the end of the day, what they’ve accomplished has helped our channel partners deliver data center and IT solutions to customers that ensure certainty in a connected world. That’s a win for everyone.

Below is a brief listing of the accomplishments that each of our executives has achieved in the past year to warrant her inclusion on the CRN list.

Shannon Sbar, Vice President of Channels, is no stranger to CRN lists. She was named to CRN’s Women of the Channel and the Channel Chiefs list for the seventh year in a row as well as CRN’s Most Influential Channel Chiefs in 2017. As the leader of channel sales and marketing for APC in North America, Shannon is responsible for a team of over 130+ across US and Canada. Her commitment to driving excellence across partners’ experience has resulted in increased offers, programs and resources for APC’s partner community.

Leslie Vitrano, Director, Marketing Global Strategy for APC by Schneider Electric was named to the Women of the Channel for the third year in a row, including the prestigious list of Power 100 in 2016 and 2017. Leslie helped launch the research and work streams that resulted in the implementation of the industry’s first dedicated power managed services program. This program helps partners create managed services offerings for customers who wish to outsource various IT functions. In short, thanks to Leslie’s work, customers now have more choices in where to turn for help with IT work.

In addition to helping launch the above mentioned managed services program for North American channel partners, Katie Boeh, Director, Channel Marketing & Communications, also helped lead an initiative to focus on the K-12 educational space, enabling partners and customers on the U.S. government’s E-Rate program through which K-12 schools can get significant rebates on a variety of IT equipment and infrastructure (as discussed in this previous post). It’s no exaggeration to say their work has resulted in the delivery of 21^st century technology to schools across the country, helping to improve teaching and learning.

Claudia Massey was instrumental in the creation, implementation, and execution of IT Channel strategic initiatives, such as K-12, Managed Service Provider (MSP), e-commerce, and UPS Lifecycle. Her management of these projects, which were the backbone behind our 2016 growth in North America, was critical to their success. She also manages a Global OEM agreement with Dell (as discussed in this previous post).

Dawn Rundell, Director, eCommerce Channel, helped implement programs and initiatives that improved the digital content that APC provides to its channel partners. That, in turn, makes it easier for customers to find the most appropriate APC products online, through their preferred provider. She also helped launch efforts to improve partner engagement with customers, which led to increases in customer satisfaction. This was the third year in a row that Dawn was named to the CRN Women of the Channel list.

I’m proud to work for a company that recognizes the value and contribution of women in our industry. APC by Schneider Electric is very focused on gender parity efforts and specifically developing female leaders. Read this blog to see what Schneider Electric’s SVP of Customer Transformation, Iram Shah, says about our efforts on increasing opportunity for women not only at our company but also around the world. We recognize that everyone benefits when different perspectives and backgrounds are brought to the table.

Congratulations to each of these executives on being recognized as CRN Women of the Channel. This group of talented executives keep a laser sharp focus on what matters most – helping our partners succeed in an ever-changing market. I hope by shedding a little light on these awards we can give our partners and customers some insight into how the work that goes on in the channel trenches results in more effective solutions for our partners.

I’m very excited about the future and expect many more leaps ahead. Take a look at what’s happening in our msp program and partner program to learn how we can help you grow your business.