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Following the success of CRN Pipeline 2023
We are delighted to return to the Gold Coast in 2024 to help IT and digital providers connect and explore new ways of maximising revenues.
Agenda
Featuring Sarah Bowden, Microsoft Asia Channel Sales Director
The GenAI channel opportunity is evolving as more Australian business move from Copilot experimentation to deployment and extension, and as Microsoft’s GenAI offering advances. Hear from Microsoft’s Asia Channel Sales Director Sarah Bowden about the next phase of the Microsoft AI partner journey, what it means for partner businesses, including MSPs, and strategic decisions you can make to position your channel firm to benefit.
Then hear from a small-to-mid-size Copilot partner and customer about the implications GenAI has had for the services and solutions they partner on, their partnership, and what’s next in their GenAI journey.
You’ve heard from the big GenAI brands, now hear from your fellow channel partners, including MSPs, about how they are positioning to capitalise on what’s coming next in AI adoption. Learn how their automation journeys are unfolding as more GenAI work moves from pilot to readiness, deployment and extension to more applications and use cases. And learn what’s next in the automation of their own operations. How are they monetising this and measuring value and ROI? Most importantly, how do they see their businesses changing, if at all, in a world where GenAI use is growing?
The IT channel is in transition, with partners breaking out of traditional boxes to try and be stickier with customers and improve profitability. Business models are blurring as partners do everything from combining managed services and consultancy, to merging telephony and IT and monetising their own IP on marketplaces. Learn from fellow IT partners who are gearing their businesses for the channel’s future profit drivers. What do these changes look like and what are the implications for your own business?
Featuring Trevor Clarke, Tech Research Asia
Trevor will reveal the results of the second annual exclusive CRN-TRA 100:100 survey findings about customers’ changing IT needs and IT firms’ changing growth drivers and priorities. This data will be based on surveys of 100 Australian end-user organisations and 100 Australian IT channel partners.
Cybersecurity is a growth driver for many IT partners, but competition keeps increasing, cost remains a roadblock in the SMB market and “cyber fatigue” threatens spending. In this session, MSPs and other IT firms discuss how partners can rise above these hurdles to grow the profitability of their cybersecurity practices as more advanced security offerings take hold.
Featuring Trevor Clarke, Tech Research Asia
Vendor portfolio complexity is hampering some channel firms’ growth and ability to keep customers happy. Choosing a more effective vendor lineup can address these issues, and position partners to ride emerging waves of demand. But this requires strategic thought. Partners might consider vendor consolidation and product stack unification, pricing changes, ramifications of vendor acquisitions, marketplace evolution and emerging growth drivers such as use of GenAI. Hear from Trevor Clarke as he presents the results of exclusive research and analysis designed to help you think strategically about your vendor lineup.
How do you find time to keep your business running while trying to grow revenue, adapt to changing market dynamics and prepare for M&A or retirement? What are the strategies, technologies and techniques your peers are using to be productive under these pressures and find time for their health and families? Are they seeing a need to change the traditional focus of their roles?
IT channel peer groups can be a lifeline, but how are they evolving to support you in dealing with tomorrow’s leadership challenges? Hear from multiple peer groups about the future of their communities in helping you deal with the pressures you face in 2024 and beyond.
Keynote Speakers
CRN Pipeline will be hosted and curated by senior editors and personnel from CRN, and will feature key Australian channel practitioners and thought leaders.
Sarah Bowden
Microsoft Global Partner Solutions – Director Asia Channel Sales
Sarah Bowden is Microsoft’s Director of Global Partner Solutions - Channel Sales Asia, based in Sydney where she leads the strategy and business performance across the six areas including ANZ, ASEAN, Japan, GCR, India and Korea. In a career spanning over 13 years with Microsoft, Sarah has held a variety of Sales Leadership roles across Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Prior to the Asia Channel Sales Director role, Sarah led the Startups and High Growth Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) Team across Asia, building a new world-class, entrepreneurial, and high-performing team across Asia. Empowering Startups and ISVs to build SaaS solutions, helping them acquire new customers, unlocking success in new markets and build cost effective, secure, solutions that provide a competitive edge through our innovative cloud offerings.
Sarah has an extensive sales career with Microsoft, leading the Australian & New Zealand Small, Medium and Corporate Sales Team, ~180 employees, accountable for over 850 Corporate Customers and 3 million SMB customers.
Prior to transitioning to Australia, Sarah was the One Commercial Partner Director and Small, Medium and Corporate Business Lead for Microsoft New Zealand, responsible for the overall strategy, sales, marketing and programs for the eco-system of Microsoft’s Small, Medium and Corporate customers and partners in New Zealand.
Sarah is very passionate about helping organisations be even more successful, whether it’s through leveraging technology or driving change through marketing and business strategy.
Before Microsoft, Sarah spent 11 years at Fuji Xerox in various roles from Finance, Marketing and Sales, with her career originating in the Banking and Finance sector in London.
Sarah is a resident of Australia, and a dual citizen of NZ and the UK and lived in NZ since 1997 where she arrived as a backpacker and fell in love with the Southern Hemisphere! Sarah is married to Chris and they have 3 teenagers, Charlie, Charlotte and Georgie.
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Wayne Bennett
Rugby League's undisputed super coach
At CRN Pipeline, Wayne Bennett will share lessons with owners, leaders and managers of IT firms who must guide and maintain teams amid fierce competition, rapid change and uncertainty.
Bennett is the most successful coach in the NRL, with one of the best winning percentages, and ranks second in the number of premierships won as a coach at an elite level.
Highlights of his decades-long coaching career range from guiding the Broncos to five premierships, two World Club Challenge titles and three pre-season titles, guiding Queensland to State of Origin victories, coaching St George Illawarra to its first NRL victory in 31 years, coaching the Canberra Raiders to their first Grand Final in his first season with them, and being chosen as the Australian coach for the final two Tests of the ANZAC series against New Zealand.
He created history by becoming the first coach to steer his club, state and country to victory in their respective series, and in 2000 he was named Coach of the Year when the Broncos won the minor and major premierships.
The year 2023 saw him helping guide a team from scratch, coaching the Dolphins to a remarkably strong first season.
His appearance at CRN Pipeline will be a unique opportunity to be inspired by and learn from a legendary team leader, while mixing with channel peers who are navigating their own team challenges in a complex, evolving industry.
Trevor Clarke
Co-Founder and Asia Pacific Research Director
Tech Research Asia
Trevor Clarke will present the latest CRN-TRA 100:100 survey of Australian IT buyers’ and channel partners’ changing priorities, and advise partners on choosing a more profitable vendor portfolio when he takes the stage at the 2024 CRN Pipeline conference.
Clarke’s first Pipeline keynote, titled “Evolution of the IT Channel Landscape in 2024”, will reveal the CRN-TRA 100:100 survey findings about changes in customers’ needs and the latest growth drivers of partners’ businesses. This data will be based on surveys of 100 Australian end-user organisations and 100 Australian IT channel partners.
The survey comes amid a transition period for the IT channel, with some partners breaking out of traditional boxes to try and be stickier with customers and improve profitability.
At CRN Pipeline, Clarke will also speak to channel firms about “Strategically Selecting Your Vendor Portfolio for Tomorrow's IT Landscape”.
Vendor portfolio complexity is hampering some channel firms’ growth and ability to keep customers happy.
Choosing a more effective vendor lineup requires strategic thought. Partners might consider vendor consolidation and product stack unification, pricing changes, ramifications of vendor acquisitions, marketplace evolution and emerging growth drivers such as use of GenAI.
Why Attend?
Unlock unparalleled opportunities, gain industry insights, and forge powerful connections at Pipeline 2024—an event designed to elevate your expertise and propel your success in the dynamic landscape of tomorrow
Learn
An opportunity to enrich your knowledge and empower your skills
Network
Expand your network, amplify opportunities and unlock endless possibilities
Grow
Ignite growth with strategic insights and dynamic networking
The CRN Impact Awards gala dinner occurs on the final night of the Pipeline conference where we announce the winners of projects that created the biggest impact for customers, partners and vendors in the channel. Good luck to all the finalists! See the winners of the 2023 CRN Impact Awards on stage last year.
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