Martin Hester, Synopsys
Martin Hester is head of EMEA channels & alliances, Synopsys Software Integrity Group at Synopsys, Inc. Martin has held several positions running different aspects of channels and alliances go to market in the technology industry for more than 23 years. His experience includes everything from building channel programmes from scratch in start-ups to running a multi-million-dollar channel sales organisation at Juniper Networks.
His experience spans the enterprise and service provider markets, in addition to hardware, software, SaaS and cloud technology. In his current role, Martin is responsible for all indirect routes to market and the overall partner strategy for Synopsys across EMEA.
He and his team work with channel partners in EMEA to build on the foundation of Synopsys' robust software security business, which has pivoted to a "partner first" go-to-market model over the past few years.
Number of years in current role:
2
Number of years in current company:
2
Number of years involved in indirect/channel sales:
23
Reports to:
Dominic Riley, head of EMEA and LATAM sales & Tom Herrmann, VP of global channels & alliances.
Number of employees in channel organisation:
Partners are a true part of the organisation and are viewed as part of the "family." We include them in everything we do to ensure that they get the same training and enablement, have support with leads and marketing kits, participate in roadmap reviews, can easily engage with our sales team, and receive all the support they need to be successful and profitable.
We also provide services opportunities to our channel partners to ensure that they not only benefit from selling solutions but also from higher margin services opportunities.
What percentage of overall sales come through the channel?
Declined to disclose.
What is your personal channel philosophy?
Partners are a true part of the organisation and are viewed as part of the family. We include them in everything we do to ensure that they get the same training and enablement, have support with leads and marketing kits, participate in roadmap reviews, can easily engage with our sales team, and receive all the support they need to be successful and profitable.
We also provide services opportunities to our channel partners to ensure that they not only benefit from selling solutions but also from higher margin services opportunities.
What were your biggest personal channel accomplishments over the past year?
I've recruited a premier partner team and have worked to transform what was a direct sales organisation into a channel first organisation.
My team has launched an MSSP program designed around AppSec. We've also enabled many individuals in partner organisations and ramped up partner net new business.
What were your organisation's biggest channel accomplishments over the past year?
We have grown our partner business 100 per cent year on year. We hold 80 per cent of the worldwide certifications in EMEA. We have increased net new deal registrations 100 per cent year on year.
What areas would you like to see your channel partners invest in in 2024?
In 2024, I expect to see more partners diversify their services portfolio and leverage the new offerings we made available to them in 2023 around MSSP and delivery services.
We have also expanded our cloud marketplace presence across AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering our customers and the channel more procurement options. I would like to see our channel partners that are also aligned with these cloud providers take advantage of that.
What are the biggest challenges facing your partners in 2024?
Economic and political instability around the world will continue to put pressure on customers and the channel, and customers will scrutinise spend more than they have before. Vendor consolidation will likely continue, so the channel needs to stay on top of that to ensure that they align with the vendors that are best positioned in these market conditions.
Customers will also want to understand market developments in the areas of AI and ML and what vendors are doing in this space. The channel needs to keep up with these developments to provide guidance and solutions to their customers.
In what ways do you use your role to build equity and inclusion?
Working in channels naturally helps build equity and inclusion. The team and I touch all areas of our business and many areas within our partners' business, working with many different individuals, understanding their perspectives, and working to provide inclusivity, diversity, equity, and inclusion every day. This is the foundation of innovation and vitality.
Describe how your use of market development funds (MDF) is changing this year?
Increase investment and focus on demand generation activities to help partners attain new opportunities. We are also increasing collaboration with our demand generation team on co-sponsor activities.
What are your biggest channel priorities in 2024?
We're aiming to increase the overall percentage of company revenue that comes through the channel and increase the amount of recurring revenue going through partners.