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​EXCLUSIVE: Nextgen NZ growth continues as former IBM channel chief comes on board

Nextgen Distribution appoints Jody Walters as Channel Manager in New Zealand, joining the distributor from IBM.

Nextgen Distribution has appointed Jody Walters as Channel Manager in New Zealand, joining the distributor from IBM.

Drawing on over 16 years of local channel experience, Walters joins the value-added distributor from her most recent role working within the tech giant’s Software Partner Channel team, working closely with key reseller partners across the country.

Walters will work with key vendor partners such as Commvault and Nimble Storage in the new role, helping to accelerate local partner growth at a national level.

“Both vendors are 100 percent channel-focused and are wanting to take more programs to market with Jody’s assistance,” says Terry Dunn, Managing Director, Nextgen New Zealand.

“Commvault has a very mature partner program and all business is transacted via the channel. As Commvault’s business continued to grow in New Zealand, and in order for Nextgen to best support Commvault, we needed to add more capability and discipline into the areas of partner enablement and empowerment.”

Consequently, Dunn says Commvault will continue to work closely (inclusive of partners) with the larger and more complex end users, with Walters set to focus on resourcing resellers who are addressing the mid-market space in New Zealand.

“Again, 100 percent of Nimble Storage is transacted via the channel,” he adds. “Being a younger company and a revolutionary vendor who are really shaking up the storage market, our role is to help identify and foster the growth of a channel business.

“The local team are already running at full speed and we need to empower the channel so we can hand off more opportunities to them.”

Speaking exclusively to Reseller News, Dunn says Walters brings local vendor and reseller experience to the role, as the distributor aims to deepen its relationships with key partners amidst a changing channel environment.

“Jody has worked with enough vendors and resellers to know what works and what doesn’t,” he says. “With reseller’s you don’t get any second chances so we need to ensure our partner program is solid and the engagement is consistent and rewarding for everyone.”

As a distributor, Dunn says Nextgen is “stepping outside of our usual role” in New Zealand, with the addition of Walters further accelerating the company’s local plans for the channel.

“Traditionally vendors have held onto the channel management role but with the maturing on value add distribution, this is another example where the vendors see our role developing,” he adds.

With the company currently in its fourth quarter and working towards a June 30 end date, Dunn says Nextgen has enjoyed “another year of excellent growth” in New Zealand, sharpening its focus on core areas within the channel.

“We haven’t changed things too much this year, rather consolidated and focused on what we were doing last year,” he says. “As a smaller value added distributor, we work with a small number of vendors partners (usually number one in their space) where we want to be a significant partner of theirs. We also avoid as much as possible overlap between the vendors we work with.”

Looking ahead, Dunn says Nextgen is actively targeting the security space, with plans in place to ramp up investments locally.

“As we don’t have “10’s of vendor partners, or three doing the same thing”, we are able to partner closely with the vendors and consequently help resellers be more successful,” he explains.

“We try to be responsive to vendors and partners but as usual, the earlier we can engage in an opportunity interlocked with the vendor and the reseller, the high likelihood of a successful engagement for everyone involved.”