The Channel Zone Podcast

Are cloud marketplaces going to remove traditional channel partners—or create their greatest opportunity yet? In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards speaks with Darren Sharpe, Microsoft’s Marketplace Channel Lead for Enterprise Partner Solutions. Darren reflects on a technology career spanning approximately 30 years, beginning in reseller sales before progressing into leadership...

What does it take to leave a secure corporate career, build a technology business from the ground up and ultimately sell it? In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards speaks with Tim Mercer, Chief Commercial Officer at CloudWize and former CEO and co-founder of Vapour Cloud. Tim traces his journey from joining the British Army at 16 to developing his sales career at Telewest and Vi...

Cybersecurity has travelled a long way—from antivirus software sold on USB sticks to protecting what people, machines and AI agents can see and do with an organisation’s data. In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Charlotte Shone, Director of Channel and Alliances at Cyera. Charlotte explains how an English Literature graduate found her way into cybersecurity sales...

Most people know Zoom as the virtual meeting platform that helped keep the world connected during lockdown. But today, that represents only one part of a much broader story. In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Emma Westland, Head of Channel for UK and Ireland at Zoom. Emma explains how Zoom has evolved into an AI-first work platform, bringing meetings, cloud tele...

Schools do not exist to run technology. They exist to educate—and every technology decision must ultimately improve the experience of teachers and learners. In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Max Feneck, Go-to-Market and Alliance Director at RM Technology. Max traces his journey from studying aerospace engineering and entering technology almost by accident to bu...

Technology buying has moved from large, upfront purchases towards flexible, consumption-based services—but what has that change meant for customers, sales teams and the channel? In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by John Newson, VP of Alliances and Channels for EMEA at Cloudwick. Drawing on a career spanning ICL, Dell, Symantec, and a decade at AWS, John explains h...

The workforce is no longer made up only of people—and that fundamentally changes the cybersecurity perimeter. Neill Burton, VP of Channels and Alliances, International Markets at KnowBe4, joins The Channel Zone Podcast to explore how AI agents are reshaping cyber risk, managed services and the way technology is bought and sold. Drawing on a career spanning more than 40 years, Neill reflects on his...

Marketing has more data, technology and automation than ever before—but behind every signal, click and digital breadcrumb, there is still a human being. In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Tony Larks, founder of M7G Consulting and a technology marketing veteran with more than 35 years of experience. Tony reflects on his journey from reluctant salesperson to sales...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Guy March, Vice President of EMEA Channels at Tenable, for a wide-ranging conversation about relationships, cybersecurity and the changing role of the channel. Guy explains why the strongest professional relationships are often forged during difficult moments—not simply while celebrating successful deals—and why responsiveness,...

How do you transform a 50-year-old technology company without losing the qualities that made it successful? In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards speaks with Russell Brown, CEO of SCC UK, about simplifying a complex organisation, accelerating its move into high-value services and preparing customers for the next era of enterprise technology. Russell explains why simplification...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards speaks with Jay Epton, Senior Director for Global Resale and Distribution at Jamf. Drawing on more than 30 years in technology—including roles at Siebel, Microsoft, Oracle, Symantec and Adobe—Jay explains how Jamf is expanding its global partner ecosystem as Apple adoption continues to grow across the enterprise. He discusses what makes a g...

Bill Hopkinson returns to The Channel Zone Podcast for a conversation about the forces reshaping managed technology, sales and leadership. Now Director of Sales at Redsquid, Bill joins Mark Edwards to explore what AI actually means for businesses beyond the hype — from improving everyday productivity and customer QBRs to helping sales teams research, prepare, capture actions and maintain greater c...

AI might appear to live in the cloud, but behind every prompt, model and application is something much more physical: data centres, engineering, infrastructure — and a huge amount of power. In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards sits down with John O’Driscoll, Group CEO of Hanley Energy, to explore the extraordinary infrastructure boom being driven by AI. John takes us inside th...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Yogesh Patel, Chief Growth Officer at Maintel, to discuss his journey from an early career in finance to more than two decades in telecoms, technology and sales leadership. Yogesh explains what being a Chief Growth Officer really means — and why sustainable growth has to be about much more than simply winning new business. From...

Heather Harlos has spent her career helping technology companies build partner programmes that actually work—not just on paper, but in the real world. In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards sits down with Heather, Global VP of Programs & Enablement at Coro, to explore what it really takes to create successful partner ecosystems in today's rapidly changing technology landscap...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, I sit down with Tom Corrigan, Chief Revenue Officer at QBS Software, to explore how the technology channel has evolved over more than 30 years—and where it's heading next. Tom shares his journey from the early days of IBM through leadership roles at Avnet, Tech Data and Mimecast before joining one of Europe's fastest-growing software delivery businesses...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards speaks with Nick Hamilton, Founder and Managing Director of Inconnection, one of the IT channel’s best-known events agencies. Nick shares his journey from PGA golf professional to building an events business trusted by many of the biggest names in the technology channel. The conversation explores how events have evolved from simple hospital...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Jonathan Keighley, Chief Revenue Officer at SaleCycle, for a sharp and honest conversation about what really changes when you move from senior sales leadership into the CRO role. Jonny explains why the CRO job is far bigger than just carrying a sales number. He talks about shifting from pipeline obsession to revenue obsession,...

In this episode of the Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards speaks with Tess Garner, Senior Director of Global Channel and Alliances Marketing at Tenable, about how cybersecurity marketing, partner engagement, and demand generation have fundamentally changed in the post-COVID world. Tess shares how Tenable, as an exposure management company, works through a global partner ecosystem of alliances, dis...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, host Mark Edwards sits down with Steve Dawes, Chief Growth Officer at syclonX, for a conversation that spans nearly five decades of enterprise sales evolution. Steve shares insights from his early career at Mars, where discipline, structure, and relentless activity defined success—22 calls a day, strict processes, and constant accountability. From there...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards sits down with Donna Joyce, Public Sector Account Director at Okta (specialising in Auth0), to explore a career shaped by an unexpected beginning: elite three-day eventing. Donna shares what it was really like working as a groom for an Olympic rider—6am starts, half a day off per week, and two years with no pay—and how that environment hard...

Mark Edwards speaks with Shannon Muller, a Cybersecurity Specialist at Microsoft, about her 20-year journey through the evolution of cyber — from early antivirus days to today’s AI-driven security landscape. Shannon explains why she approaches customers as an advisor first, how the role of security leadership has changed, and what she’s learning through her Master’s in Cyber Law as regulation and...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Marcus Davidson, Director of Field Enablement at Mimecast, for a wide-ranging conversation on what great enablement really looks like—today, and in any era. Marcus unpacks why he prefers the term “talent enablement” (toolset, skillset, mindset) and shares the core idea that selling is less about “selling” and more about helping...

Work From Home Is Killing Opportunity (Return to Customers) In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Mark Sumner, CEO of Robertson Sumner and host of the Channel Chat podcast, to unpack how podcasting, community, and in-person relationships are shaping the UK channel. Mark shares the candid story behind Channel Chat — launched in 2019 as a business development tool, t...

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, Mark Edwards is joined by Ed Renwick, Head of Strategic Service Provider Acquisition at Acronis—an experienced sales and partner leader whose career spans Oracle, Virgin Media, Exponential-e, and more. Mark and Ed reconnect (with a bit of humour to kick things off, including the origin story of Ed’s beard) before getting into what really matters: how pa...