New Dell EMC global channel leader Joyce Mullen has been with the company since 1999, and has seen plenty of change, including one of the largest mergers in tech history.
As she gets comfortable in her new role, Mullen tells IT World Canada that she isn’t planning any drastic changes to the various elements of the channel business. Staying true to Dell EMC’s motto of “simplicity, predictability, and profitability”, her top three initiatives will be “grow, grow, and grow some more.”
“Growing our business is my top priority,” Mullen says. “Our channel is huge and our customers are doing amazing things with our technology as they transform their businesses. This is a massive opportunity and I’m going to keep our foot on the gas and help us grow as fast as possible.”
Dell EMC has made some changes to its partner program recently, and Mullen says that beyond a few minor tweaks, the new program will remain the same.
“We’ll always continue to tweak things as we try to figure out how to improve our capabilities, competitiveness, and program structure so that they’re better for our partners,” she explains. “Structurally, we’re going to stay consistent because the new framework has been really well-received. We’re proud of what we’ve built.”
She adds that the partners will play a part in helping her figure out other priorities and where she should go from here. In her first few months, she’ll be monitoring the feedback the channels business receives from customers, partners, and Dell EMC’s partner advisory board because “it’s always good to start off by just listening.”
When it comes to role models, Mullen says she admires the work done by previous global channel leader John Byrne, who will be moving into a North American Commercial Sales position, and that she is looking forward to building upon the foundation he has set up.
“All the work that John has done over the last couple years, and the programs he’s put together with [global channel and alliances leader] Cheryl Cook, is really impressive, especially in such a short amount of time,” she tells IT World Canada. “The speed of execution has been really impressive from a program implementation point of view, particularly when you take into consideration that this is really two major companies coming together.”
Based in Austin, Texas, Mullen believes her long history at Dell EMC will serve her well in her new role. She was previously the senior vice president and general manager of global OEM and Internet of Things solutions at Dell EMC. She has been with Dell since 1999, and has held roles such as director of service operations, materials and repair, and client support, before moving into vice president roles of small and medium-sized business services, Americas sales operations, public marketing, global alliances, and global OEM solutions before her current position, according to LinkedIn.
“I’ve been here for what at times feels like a thousand years. I feel like I’ve been at four, five, or even six companies because we’ve had so many different iterations of who we are, but in every single case, we’ve been getting better. The results of the Dell and EMC merger are no different. I have a ton of respect for Michael [Dell]’s overall strategy and all the hard work that went into integrating these two businesses into a seamless new company,” she concluded.