Tech Data Executives Recognized on CRN's 2017 Women of the Channel List

CLEARWATER, Fla., May 15, 2017

The executives who comprise this annual list span the IT channel, representing vendors, distributors, solution providers and other organizations that figure prominently in the channel ecosystem. Each is recognized for her outstanding leadership, vision and unique role in driving channel growth and innovation. CRN editors select the Women of the Channel honorees based on their professional accomplishments, demonstrated expertise and ongoing dedication to the IT channel.

During a year in which Tech Data announced its transformative acquisition of Avnet's Technology Solutions business, specific accomplishments for the Tech Data executives recognized as CRN Women of the Channel for 2017 include:

• Christy Anderson and her team set the foundation for incremental success by soliciting feedback from customers and suppliers to enable appropriate changes. This initiative, which involved a thorough skills assessment of the Inside Sales team, a detailed evaluation of partner expectations, and alignment and role changes, helped drive process improvements and increased collaboration. Anderson was also named to CRN's "Power 100" list, a subset of the Women of the Channel honoring an exemplary record of success and level of influence in the channel, for the third straight year.
• Trisha Cooke worked to combine the Pre-Sales Technical Support and Integrated Solutions teams into a single organization, making major strides in helping customers grow their businesses in the third platform. The Technical Field Sales team engaged with more than 600 partners around technical support on supplier products and services designed to support high-growth second- and third-platform solutions specializing in the converged and hyper-converged market, delivering over 1,000 one-on-one partner certification mappings to enable the company's partner base. This year marks Cooke's second straight selection to CRN's Women of the Channel list.
• Michelle Curtis was instrumental in the launch and growth of Tech Data's Smart IoT Solutions practice in the Americas, working with vendor partners, customers, and end users across the region to drive solutions, foster partner relationships and develop proof of concepts. Curtis was also named to CRN's "Up & Comers" list, a subset the Women of the Channel list that identifies rising stars whose initiative and creative thinking have positioned their companies for success and are helping to shape the future of the IT channel.
• Deena Piquion successfully structured the joint Sales and Product Marketing organizations for Tech Data's Latin America Export business, better aligning them with customer needs by solution and providing increased value to channel partners.
• Andrea Short led the creation and expansion of partnerships with tiered resellers and suppliers, collaborating with her internal peer groups to produce thousands of leads for the company's channel partners through innovative closed-loop marketing programs.

"Christy, Trisha, Michelle, Deena and Andrea epitomize our organization's dedication and commitment to collaborating closely with our customers and vendor partners to profitably grow their businesses," said Joe Quaglia, president, the Americas at Tech Data. "All five of these talented leaders helped our channel community capitalize on high-growth opportunities and navigate the rapidly evolving technology market. We are proud of their well-deserved industry recognition from CRN and the positive impact they have had in positioning Tech Data and our partners for long-term success."

"These extraordinary executives support every aspect of the channel ecosystem, from technical innovation to marketing to business development, working tirelessly to keep the channel moving into the future," said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. "They are creating and elevating channel partner programs, developing fresh go-to-market strategies, strengthening the channel's network of partnerships and building creative new IT solutions, among many other contributions. We congratulate all the 2017 Women of the Channel on their stellar accomplishments and look forward to their future success."

The 2017 Women of the Channel list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine and online at www.CRN.com/wotc.