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Westcon appoints MS channel manager

Regina Pazvakavambwa
By Regina Pazvakavambwa, ITWeb portals journalist.
Johannesburg, 15 Apr 2015
Westcon has appointed Michelle Themelis as Microsoft channel manager within its cloud business practice.
Westcon has appointed Michelle Themelis as Microsoft channel manager within its cloud business practice.

Westcon Group Southern Africa has appointed Michelle Themelis as its Microsoft channel manager within its cloud business practice.

Her appointment is due to the growing need for the support of vendor partners and reseller customers with regard to its Microsoft product portfolio, says Westcon.

According to Themelis, Microsoft is no longer just an operating system and productivity suite company, but a serious cloud player with business applications across the business value chain.

Therefore, as a distributor, it is critical Westcon ensures it has skills internally to support vendors in taking these solutions to market, and also support resellers to better service the end-user, she adds.

Themelis says in her new position, she will be working and looking after reseller partners -growing Westcon's reach into new markets.

She will also be maintaining the relationship the company has established with Microsoft as a key vendor to its business.

Her immediate plan is to identify and nurture new opportunities across the Microsoft portfolio for reseller partners, with particular emphasis around how they can grow their businesses into the cloud, and how they can develop a cloud strategy for their customers.

"I am delighted to welcome Themelis to the team in the cloud business practice and look forward to seeing her grow and cultivate our Microsoft business within the realms of cloud solution selling," says Leane Hannigan, cloud solutions director, Westcon Group Southern Africa.

Themelis' hands-on experience with Microsoft and the creation and management of mutually beneficial business relationships with customers and partners will serve her well in her new position, she adds.

She was previously contracted to Microsoft SA as an advocacy manager in one of Microsoft's strategic programmes called "GetHelp".

Themelis has held various contracts at Microsoft SA since 1999 and her other areas of expertise include business operations specialist, sales and administration.

"I bring to the position my skills in establishing and building relationships between organisations, my ability to unpack solution selling, as well as extensive knowledge of Microsoft as a vendor and its product stacks," says Themelis.

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