The Advisory Board – Channel Executive Council

Our Advisory Board: Guiding the Future of the Channel

The Advisory Board of the Channel Executive Council plays a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of the channel ecosystem. Comprised of top industry leaders, they offer invaluable insights and guidance on key decisions, emerging trends, and critical challenges facing the channel.

Their expertise ensures that the CEC stays ahead of the curve, providing actionable strategies and fostering collaboration across diverse sectors. Through their leadership, the Advisory Board helps to drive innovation, growth, and success within the industry.

Meet The US Advisory Board

Joe Sykora

Chief Executive Officer

Joe Sykora is a Global Sales and Channel Leader with over 20 years of experience in driving hyper sales performance. Equal parts operational leader and customer-facing executive, his expertise in managing key enterprise accounts and channel sales programs also includes negotiating complex partnerships, skillfully leading through times of change & creating Go To Market strategies that transform technology firms into competitive global businesses.

He is also a talented public speaker who constantly leverages his excellent communication skills as a trusted senior-level advisor & Board Member with the ability to present forward-thinking solutions in complex situations & lead high stakes negotiations.

A serial tech founder & CEO who has successfully led multiple startups through the merger & acquisition process from both sides of the table, Joe thrives in high risk, fast paced environments & brings an entrepreneurial approach to every situation

Jules Johnston

Senior Vice President of Global Channels

Jules Johnston is a dynamic and accomplished leader with a distinguished career spanning global sales, channel strategy, marketing, business operations, and human resources. Known for her relentless work ethic and inclusive leadership style, Jules brings a unique blend of go-to-market expertise, change management acumen, and human capital insight to every role.

With a proven track record of expanding partner ecosystems, accelerating growth, and driving transformation, Jules excels at building high-performing, diverse teams across geographies. A servant-leader at heart, she combines warmth with precision, leveraging strong emotional intelligence to mentor talent and inspire results. Her leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Equinix CEO Award in 2020 and consistent placement on CRN’s Power 100 Women of the Channel since 2017.

Lisa Citron

VP, Global Partner Ecosystem

As the Vice President of Global Partner Ecosystem, Lisa is responsible for building and leading an ecosystem-centric go-to-market strategy to drive global revenue growth for F5 solutions and further establish the company as a leader in multi-cloud application services. Lisa Citron has a long history with F5, joining the company more than 10 years ago.

Prior to her current role she served as VP of North America Channels, responsible for all regional commercial and public sector channel business. She’s also held the role of Sr. Director of Cloud and Channel Sales where she helped to drive transformational change in the development of the company’s public cloud go-to-market motions. Prior to F5, Lisa was Vice President, Worldwide Channels and Alliances at BlueCat Networks and Director of Global Channels and Alliances at netForensics. Lisa also held senior channel sales and marketing roles with Global Knowledge and McAfee over her 20+ year career in the channel

Micheal McCollough

Senior Vice President Global Channels & Alliances

Micheal McCollough is a veteran cybersecurity channel executive and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Partners and Alliances at Mimecast. He leads global partner strategy and is focused on expanding Mimecast’s reach through a dedicated program for MSPs and services partners.

Prior to Mimecast, Micheal held senior channel leadership roles at top cybersecurity firms. He was Global VP of Channel Sales at Anomali and previously served as Global VP and Channel Chief at Imperva, where he supported the company through its $3.6 billion acquisition by Thales. He also led global channels and alliances at Akamai from 2015 to 2021 and held several leadership roles at Dell.

With a career spanning global enterprises and high-growth startups, Micheal is known for building high-performing partner ecosystems that drive growth and innovation.

Larissa Crandall

Global Vice President of Channel and Alliances

Larissa has over 20 years of experience transforming global high-tech sales and channel teams, she has led the organizations through transformation to channel first models and driving alliances resulting in record growth. She has been selected by CRN for the Women of the Channel, Channel Chief, Power 100 – Top Most Powerful Women of the Channel and People You Don’t Know but Should.

Frank Rauch

Global Channel Chief

Frank Rauch is a recognized leader in the channel industry, known for his award-winning leadership and commitment to developing high-performing teams. Over the course of his career, Frank and his teams have earned more than 85 channel awards, while he has been consistently ranked among the top 25 channel executives. In 2020, he was honored with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, a testament to his lasting impact on the industry.

Frank has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of over 20 channel executives and continues to serve as a trusted advisor to some of the most successful start-ups in the tech space. Passionate about giving back, he mentors entrepreneurs, teaches emerging leaders, and serves on several non-profit boards.

Meet The EMEA Advisory Board

Nasser El Abdouli

Vice President, EMEA Channel Sales

Nasser El Abdouli is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in sales leadership and business development across the EMEA region. Currently serving as Vice President of EMEA Channel Sales at F5, he has demonstrated a strong ability to drive growth through strategic partnerships and channel management.

His career includes significant roles at leading technology firms such as Citrix and Check Point, where he honed his expertise in account management and solution selling. Nasser is known for his dynamic leadership style and exceptional communication skills, enabling him to effectively mobilize cross-functional teams. His awards, including the Circle of Excellence, reflect his commitment to excellence in sales performance.

Based in Dubai, he possesses a unique understanding of the Middle Eastern market dynamics. Nasser is not just a leader; he is also a collaborator with a passion for innovation and problem-solving.

Greg Jones

Senior Vice President of MSP Enablement – EMEA & North America

Greg is an MSP growth-hacking professional and leadership expert who delivers high-energy keynote presentations that challenge audiences to focus on what matters most when it comes to technology and business.

His presentations motivate audiences to think outside the box and challenge the status quo on what can be achieved with the right technology and business processes. Audiences love these pragmatic and practical strategies that can be easily implemented and lead to big business results.

Greg’s passions extend to the greater MSP community where he serves as Executive Council Leader for CompTIA and is chair of CompTIA’s Cyber Security Committee as well as acting as an advisor for their Advancing Women in Technology board. He is also a leader of Datto’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council and a Business Ambassador for Alder Hey Children’s Charity, whose mission is to support the young patients, families, and the staff at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in the UK.

Lorraine Twigg

VP, Global Strategic Partnerships

Lorraine is a strong believer in collaboration as the key to success, helping to build the best eco-systems for us all to thrive in, and is excited to be part of developing a new wave of partnerships which will play an intrinsic part of enabling open optical networks for the worlds largest customers of optical networks.

Lorraine has held various roles previously in the Telecom’s and IT industry that have seen her leading sales and business development both direct and indirect across Carrier and Enterprise sectors and have included various disciplines from Voice, Networking, Mobile, CPaaS and IoT throughout her career.

She has a Masters Degree in Business Administration and is passionate about supporting equality and diversity in the Telecoms and IT sector having spent 30 years in this industry.

Jason Ellis

Vice President EMEA Channel Sales

Jason Ellis is the Vice President of EMEA Channel Sales at Sophos, a cybersecurity company. He is based in Reading, UK. In this role, he focuses on the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) channel sales strategy and works with Sophos partners in the region. He also participates in regular interactive communication sessions with partners, updating them on new cybersecurity strategies and the MDR (Managed Detection and Response) service roadmap.

Maribel Ortiz

EMEA Enterprise and Channel Director

Maribel holds a Masters in Telecommunications Engineering from Madrid Politechnical University, PDG from IESE Business School in 2006 and Women on Board Program from IESE Business School in 2017. Maribel is fluent in Spanish (Main), French , English and German. Beginning her career in R&D, Maribel spent 5 years in Distribution at Telekec Spain as Junior Support Engineer, before moving to sales and finally to running the Telecom & Systems Business Unit.

Her next role was General Manager at GN NetTest, a Danish company. There, Maribel led Direct and Indirect Sales for South and Central Europe, managed the acquisition and integration of Photonetics in the Spanish market, and drove the final integration with Anritsu when they acquired NetTest Mid 2005.

In 2006, Maribel joined VIAVI (formerly JDSU) to develop their Channel business in EMEA with major milestones of driving market segmentation and GTM clarity in direct and indirect business, developing channel sales tools, training and channel management, driving vertical channel sales in EMEA, creating first global virtual channel team, and creating preliminary global program prior to Velocity Partner Program launch. Maribel is an active contributor to overall VIAVI channel strategy and is currently serving as Director, Velocity Program in EMEA