What does it mean to be a channel star in 2020? It likely means excelling at helping clients navigate the most challenging personal and professional year of their lives. In a year as difficult as 2020, those who leave a positive, lasting impact shine even brighter, which is why we’re extremely proud today to share the news that not one, not two, but three SADAians have been recognized by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, as Next-Gen Solution Provider Leaders for 2020.
The CRN Next-Gen Solution Provider Leaders list recognizes exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions in driving growth and strategic direction over the last year to the channel companies they work for. The lineup includes rising star executives, directors and managers, 40 years of age or younger, who are poised to be tomorrow’s channel leaders.
“CRN’s Next-Gen Solution Provider Leaders list honors IT channel up-and-comers who are blazing a path forward to the next era of the IT channel,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. “We congratulate the individuals on this year’s list for bringing fresh ideas and new ways of delivering success that are setting the pace for the rest of the channel.”
Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company
So, who are these up-and-coming channel stars in our midst? The winners are:
Courtney Graham, Director of Sales: Central and Southeast
Courtney grew up in Illinois, where she played college basketball before beginning her career (and learning her customer-centric management style) at the Four Seasons hotel chain. She later joined Oracle in Austin, Texas, where she worked as an inside sales rep and honed her leadership and mentoring skills, eventually becoming Oracle’s youngest field sales rep. Courtney made the move to Google Cloud in 2016, where she cut her cloud teeth as one of the company’s first sales reps. Courtney created the first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Day at Google Cloud and helped grow its retail and energy verticals to new heights. Since joining SADA in January 2020 as its first Regional Director, Courtney has helped us generate over $100 million in new business in the Central region.
Edmond Youash, Managing Director, Google Cloud Sales
Edmond began his career in tech in 2009 as a Solutions Specialist at SADA. Within 18 months he was promoted to Business Development Manager focused on establishing long-term relationships with SADA’s key tech partners. Edmond earned another promotion in 2013 to Director of Business Development, where he consistently drove 40% YoY revenue growth. In January 2020, Edmond became Managing Director of Google Cloud Sales with a focus on helping the world’s biggest brands adopt Google Cloud. Now, he’s an exceptional leader of 15 emerging enterprise sales stars at SADA.
Simon Margolis, VP of Pre-sales Cloud Engineering
Simon’s tech career began earlier than most. At age 14 he was providing network and computer repair services to friends, family and his local community. The pursuit of solving problems with cutting-edge technology led Simon to SADA, where he began on the help desk and quickly rose through the ranks. With guidance from SADA’s leadership team, he began offering his clients access to consultants who were deeply versed in Google’s technology, so they could adopt the platform more quickly. Simon’s vision and tenacity have helped SADA’s cloud adoption practice grow 300% YoY the past four years. As the VP of Pre-sales Cloud Engineering, Simon played an integral part in SADA’s $500 million GCP resale commitment in 2019. .
“We’re ecstatic that Courtney, Edmond and Simon are honored on this prestigious list. Their success reflects SADA’s mission to grow and empower the next generation of channel leaders to deliver exceptional customer experiences,” said Tony Safoian, CEO, SADA. “This is a well-deserved honor, and I am proud to see their professional achievements unfold.”
Tony Safoian, CEO, SADA
Please join us in congratulating them. You can find the complete list of winners at www.crn.com/NextGenSPLeaders.
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