by Wendy Harmon, VP, Global Channel Marketing, RingCentral
This November, the Alliance of Channel Women is celebrating the theme of “Impact” — how our individual and collective actions have advanced our talented ACW members and the wider channel community.
This also happens to coincide with RingCentral’s 10-year anniversary as a proud ACW sponsor. While this track record of supporting women in the channel predates my time with the company, it’s a tradition I’m happy to carry and build upon. Throughout those 10 years, countless RingCentral teammates have called themselves ACW members, sat on panels and volunteered their time.
When I think about the impact that RingCentral’s partnership with ACW has had, it comes down to three primary factors:
Individual Contributions
As a people leader, the best joy I experience in my work is seeing talented people grow and thrive. The opportunities afforded by the Alliance of Channel Women have played a large role in advancing the careers of many in the RingCentral channel organization.
One such recent example is the work of Senior Channel Marketing Manager Jessica Duvall, who, if you’ve been involved with ACW this year, you have likely interacted with in some form or fashion. Recently, Jessica co-founded ACW’s new Philanthropy Committee, which raises awareness in the community for impactful nonprofit organizations.
Or, like Jess Taussig, another talented senior channel marketing manager here at RingCentral, who used ACW’s blog platform to publish her first piece of thought leadership in the channel. The ability to amplify voices like theirs is yet another way the organization promotes and uplifts its members.
Collective Success
But, it’s not just about individual wins. ACW and its pledge — “women supporting women” — also reflect throughout the success of the RingCentral channel organization as a whole.
Two proof points: first, in RingCentral’s most recent round of promotions, no less than five ACW members were elevated into new roles. All of them have been with the company for multiple years, and to see them benefit from a culture of inclusion and growth is truly remarkable.
Second, this past year, I was happy to see that all three of RingCentral’s top partner managers were women. In a field that is obviously male-dominated, this is a testament to what we can do when put in a position to succeed.
Lifetime Support
Finally, as we always say, the channel is about relationships, so I think the greatest impact ACW brings to the table is the ability to forge lifelong connections.
It’s about building support networks beyond titles or individual roles: relationships that last beyond a single position to support women in tech for the duration of their careers.
Most importantly, it’s about seeing people grow. Work provides unique opportunities to explore, learn and challenge ourselves, and together, we can amplify those opportunities. When you have a community of people walking the journey with you, it helps us all to thrive.
Closing Thoughts
Looking back on my past five-plus years at RingCentral and our 10-year history of sponsorship, the benefits of teaming up with ACW have been innumerable.
With so many success stories of elevating our talented women in the channel, it’s easy to see why we here at RingCentral call ourselves proud sponsors of the Alliance of Channel Women.
About the Author
As VP of Global Channel Marketing, Wendy Harmon leads RingCentral’s global partner program, RingCentral Reach™, supporting more than 16,000 channel partners worldwide. In doing so, her goal is to make RingCentral the channel’s easiest SaaS vendor to work with.
With more than 30 years of software experience leading global Product, Customer Success and Operation teams, Wendy has a track record of delivering results. Today, she brings that background in support of RingCentral partners by building a culture of excellence within the channel marketing organization and advocating for partner interests within the company.
Her leadership philosophy: create a balance between innovative risk and the needs for discipline, standards and consistency. This is achieved by hiring great people, giving them the tools they need to succeed and then getting out of the way to let them shine.
Wendy is a proud sixth-generation Californian, graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder and has lived in the UK, but currently calls Denver home.