The List Recognizes Individuals Working to Promote Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Technology Channels
SAN MATEO, California – September 28, 2023 – Aryaka®, the leader in Unified SASE solutions, announced today that Aryaka’s Channel Chief Craig Patterson is among the honorees on the 2023 Channel Futures DE&I 101 list. The list recognizes individuals from a wide spectrum of multicultural backgrounds who are driving diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in technology channels through their words, actions and leadership.
The Channel Futures DE&I 101 is a list of the most prominent individuals in the technology channel who are focused on improving their organization’s performance and innovation by having the most diverse, equitable and inclusive teams and workplaces. The Channel Futures DE&I 101 members are those who are breaking new ground by showing the technology industry and entire business community that sound DE&I strategies can impact business outcomes.
“Aryaka is incredibly proud of Craig Patterson for advocating for DE&I at our company and in our channel partner community,” said Pete Harteveld, Chief Revenue Officer for Aryaka. “Craig has a long history of helping channel women advance their careers and he’s a champion for women’s leadership programs at Aryaka and is promoting the Aryaka Women in Tech (WIT) group within the channel organization.”
Patterson, a 19-year technology channel sales professional, leads Aryaka’s channel strategy worldwide, enabling alignment across partner sales and marketing teams and programs in North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC). Patterson joined Aryaka Networks as Channel Chief and Vice President of Sales – Americas in September 2021, where he led go-to-market strategies within the agent, reseller and distribution channels in North America, including the launch of the Aryaka Accelerate Global Partner Program in January 2022.
Patterson is an award-winning channel leader who also has been named a Channel Futures Channel Influencer of the Year (2023), Channel Futures Circle of Excellence Award Winner (2022) and a Top 20 Channel Leader in Networking and Connectivity (2022), and a CRN Channel Chief (2022 and 2023). Through these accolades, Craig has raised his profile as an influencer, which enables him to speak and raise awareness about the value of DEI and the impact it has on company performance.
The need for DE&I has been acknowledged in the information and communications industries for many years. But while any number of tech organizations have received attention for the DE&I programs they’ve launched, it’s the people at the grassroots level who get things started and keep the momentum going. As a result, the Channel Futures DE&I 101 recognizes senior, mid-level and future leaders so the entire channel can learn from their success.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are vital for the future of all business, not just the channel,” said Kelly Danziger, vice president and general manager, Informa Tech Channels. “But despite its importance, most DE&I work goes on behind the scenes. This list not only recognizes those dedicated individuals who are working to promote DE&I in the channel but reiterates the importance of this work as well.”
Nominations for the DE&I 101 list were solicited on the Channel Futures website and through social media. Between April 13 and June 30, individuals could nominate themselves or others for the list. Applications were open to managers, leaders and individual contributors. All submissions were thoroughly reviewed by members of the Channel Futures editorial team and our advisory board members.
“When Channel Futures inaugurated the DE&I 101 list in 2021, we wanted to help elevate those who were having a profound impact on their organizations, those who were develop sound DE&I strategies and leaders who were vocal about making change,” said Robert DeMarzo, vice president of content, Informa Tech Channels. “The response by the entire channel has been incredible. We’re providing a forum where members of the technology and communications channels can exchange ideas, educate themselves and reach out to help others. We welcome all voices.”
For information about becoming an Aryaka Accelerate Partner, visit https://www.aryaka.com/partners/, contact Aryaka at [email protected], or call 1.877.727.9252.
Additional Resources:
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About Aryaka
Aryaka is the leader in fully managed SD-WAN and Unified SASE solutions. Aryaka meets customers where they are to help them overcome their network and security challenges with an absurdly great customer experience. Aryaka’s flexible architecture and all-in-one service are designed to modernize enterprises of any size, enabling them to defy convention and future-proof their businesses. The company’s customer base is comprised of hundreds of global enterprises, including several in the Fortune 100. For more on Aryaka, please visit www.aryaka.com.
About Channel Futures
Channel Futures is a media and events destination for the information and communication technologies (ICT) channel community. We provide information, perspective and connection for the entire channel ecosystem, including solution providers (SPs), managed service providers (MSPs), managed security service providers (MSSPs), cloud service providers (CSPs), value-added resellers (VARs) and distributors, technology solutions brokerages, subagents and agents, as well as leading technology vendor partners and communication providers.
Our properties include many awards programs such as the Channel Futures MSP 501, a list of the most influential and fastest-growing providers of managed services in the technology industry; Channel Partners events, which delivers unparalleled in-person events including Channel Partners Conference & Expol, Channel Futures Leadership Summit, Women’s Leadership Summit, the MSP Summit, and Channel Partners Europe; and a DEI Community Group, our initiative to educate, support and promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the ICT channel industry. Channel Futures is where the world meets the channel; we are leading Channel Partners forward. More information is available at channelfutures.com.
Channel Futures is part of Informa Tech, a market-leading B2B information provider with depth and specialization in ICT sector. Every year, we welcome 14,000+ subscribers to our research, more than 4 million unique monthly visitors to our digital communities, 18,200+ students to our training programs and 225,000 delegates to our events.
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Media Contacts
Aryaka North America Channel Media Contact:
Khali Henderson
Senior Partner
BuzzTheory (for Aryaka)
[email protected]
480.999.5297
Channel Futures Media Contact:
Buffy Naylor
Managing Editor, Channel Futures
[email protected]