CHANNEL CHIEF
Balancing global and
local strengths
Anne Bourgeois has been Senior Channel Director at
Fortinet for the last three years. She is responsible for
the partner programme, channel operations and channel
marketing across EMEA and APAC. By Arun Shankar.
Anne Bourgeois is
Senior Channel
Director at Fortinet.
A
nne works closely with the heads
of sales to ensure the channel gets
the support it deserves. Fortinet
is a vendor company with a 100 per cent
channel model. Being part of the channel
organisation gives her a lot of satisfaction,
as she builds the bridge between the direct
touch approach and the channel partners.
“It is a really exciting job as Fortinet
has been going through a massive
transformation for the last five years. And
therefore, it implies change management
within our own organisation,” she says.
Understanding the need to change and
adapt across 80 countries spread across
EMEA and APAC regions is sometimes
challenging. And the way forward, she
believes is to, “always find the right
balance between operating globally
and adapting to local culture and local
business requirements.”
Out of the different experiences she
goes through, Anne finds putting together
60
and building teams to be an exciting part
of her job role. “Being able to create a
team of individuals who have different
characters and different skills, but who are
able to work together to achieve a common
goal, is definitively the most interesting
part of the job.”
Anne believes at Fortinet she has a very
good team upon whom she can rely. But it
is crucial they feel they’re important and a
valued part of the team. “Because at their
level, they are also going to be accountable
for the success of what we need to achieve.
I always like them to challenge my vision
for the channel and I value their input
immensely,” she says.
Looking forward, pay as you use
and pay as you grow is expected to be a
hot technology talking point. As cloud
technology has matured in some parts
of the world, Fortinet will help its end
users and their reseller partners to
consume security as they face a business
environment that is borderless and
requires constant agility.
Has Anne faced gender bias across her
career span? Her answer is no. “I think I
am one of the few women who have been
promoted every time I have come back
from maternity leave. My employers have
always been pragmatic. If they believe you
are the best person to do the job, you will
get it,” she explains.
What is her advice to aspiring women
and men also? “Work hard and always be
well prepared. Focus on both form and
content to be recognised as an expert. If
you feel you are not being acknowledged
for your true work, find another position.
Do not be afraid of change,” is what she
recommends as a mentor.
Anne travels a lot for her work, so her
time-off priority is to be with her husband
and two children. She also enjoys cooking
for her family and friends. “It is my personal
recipe to relax and clear my head.”
My employers
have always been
pragmatic. If they
believe you are
the best person
to do the job, you
will get it.
ssue 08
NTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS