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A fascination with modems guided RAIF MEHMET into a career in technology . The Vice President for EMEA at Bitglass speaks about his current job role and the latest trends which he sees emerging across the channel .
Describe your current job role and the parts that are somewhat challenging ?
My current job role is Vice President EMEA at Bitglass . My main objective is to achieve our sales targets , stay ahead of competition and keep the team motivated . My role is two-fold . First , I oversee the EMEA teams , developing and delivering the strategy to move the business forward . Second , I manage the channel throughout the region , looking after our distribution partners across Europe and the Middle East , as well as our network of smaller – but still important – partners .
At the time of answering this question , we ’ re still very much in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic . Pre-pandemic I would have given a very different answer as to the challenges I face ! Before COVID , companies all had their own specific challenges . Now the challenges I am facing align with both competitor and market challenges , as companies the world over assess their viability to survive the crisis . My focus now is ensuring Bitglass ’ position in the market and proving our solution ’ s performance , productivity and return on investment to customers and prospects who are inevitably looking for the best ROI , especially in the current climate .
Can you explain how your company works with channel partners ?
Bitglass is a 100 % channel company . We have distribution partners in each major European country , including UK , Switzerland , Germany , Italy , France , Spain , the Nordics and Middle East . We have ten distributors across Europe and between 300 – 400 partners .
How do you ensure channel partners flourish in a highly competitive market ?
Knowledge is key and helps cut through what is a very noisy market . In a world of hyperbole it feels awkward to say but the Bitglass solution is like nothing else on
Now the challenges I am facing align with both competitor and market challenges , as companies the world over assess their viability to survive the crisis .
the market . It is unique . We provide our partners with sales training for which they get official Bitglass accreditation . Currently , 30 sales engineers ( SEs ) in Europe are trained to Bitglass ’ certification standard . We keep our channel partners updated with the latest technology , provide them with healthy margins and deliver leads generated via our own lead generation team .
What are the latest trends you see emerging across the channel ?
The partner community today is looking for vendors that can prove both cost savings
Raif Mehmet , VP EMEA at Bitglass
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