Riverbed Executives Recognized as 2016 CRN Channel Chiefs

San Francisco—February 23, 2016—Riverbed Technology, the leader in application performance infrastructure, today announced that Karl Meulema, Senior Vice President of Global Channels, and Michelle Hodges, Vice President of Global Channel Strategy & Programs, were named to the prestigious list of the 2016 CRN Channel Chiefs. The executives on this annual list represent top leaders in the IT channel who excel at driving growth and revenue in their organizations through channel partners.

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Channel Chief honorees are selected by CRN’s editorial staff on the basis of their professional achievements, standing in the industry, dedication to the channel partner community and strategies for driving future growth and innovation. Each of the 2016 Channel Chiefs has demonstrated loyalty and ongoing support for the IT channel by consistently promoting, defending and executing outstanding channel partner programs.

To fully capitalize on the digital transformation brought on by SaaS, cloud computing and mobility, Meulema and Hodges are dedicated to delivering programs that support the continued growth of channel partners in this dynamic environment. As Riverbed’s channel business model depends on the tremendous value brought by its partners, both Meulema and Hodges are committed to aligning channel partners’ business goals to address this expanding market opportunity in 2016.

Riverbed is investing in incentives over the coming year to enable partners to market and implement Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) solutions and architectures, which will become increasingly critical as the digital transformation continues and cloud infrastructures and hybrid networks become more software-defined. In addition, Riverbed will add new Managed Services and System Integration & Outsourcer tracks for this program, and make focused investments and refinements to its Value-Added Distributor Program. Riverbed is also making significant investments to build partner-led Embedded Services & Solutions.

"We are honored to present the 2016 lineup of CRN Channel Chiefs, comprised of outstanding executives who move our entire industry forward by cultivating exemplary partner programs and executing cutting-edge business strategy,” said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. “They represent an extraordinary group of individuals who lead by example and serve as both invaluable advocates and innovators of the IT channel. We applaud their incredible strides and look forward to following their accomplishments in the coming year.”

“Riverbed is dedicated to offering a program that enables our partners to succeed in the new software-defined age and solve customer challenges with the Riverbed portfolio of architectural solutions,” said Karl Meulema, Senior Vice President of Global Channels at Riverbed. “This designation recognizes the mutual success of Riverbed and our partners as we expand our channel strategy to reinforce the competitive advantage of the Riverbed platform and its next-generation architecture of Software-Defined Networking solutions.”

The 2016 CRN Channel Chiefs list is featured in the February 2016 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/channelchiefs.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com