The past three years has seen the CDN Top 100 Solution Providers produce strong growth, but in 2016 the channel community in Canada surpassed the $8 billion milestone with an amazing 20 per cent growth, according to tabulations from CDN and IDC Canada.
The Top 100 Solution Providers Event was sponsored by Tech Data Canada, HP Inc. Canada, Dell EMC Canada, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Canada, CA Technologies Canada and AMD Canada. Supporting sponsors included BlackBerry, Wells Fargo, VMware and Symantec Canada.
Pictured here are executives: BlackBerry’s Ajay Malhan, HPE Canada’s Jas Sahota, HP Canada’s Gary Drysdale, VMware Canada’s Tara Fine, BlackBerry’s Richard McLeod, Tech Data Canada’s Rick Reid, CA’s Annika Bergum and Paula Gil, HP Canada’s Leland Brown, CA’s Patrick Richer, Dell EMC Canada’s Deanna Thomson, and Wells Fargo Canada’s Kristin Godwin.
CDN embarked on a special Life Time Achievement Award program in 2016. It’s first honouree was Lloyd Bryant, the long-time leader of HP Canada. This year’s Life Time Achievement Award was given to two well-deserving channel champions: Rick Reid, president of Tech Data Canada and Dave MacDonald, the former president and CEO of Softchoice.
Pictured with with the Lifetime Achievement Awards is HP Canada’s Heather Kent.
Rick Reid received a standing ovation from the more than 200 channel executives on hand at the CDN Top 100 gala. Reid is retiring after a stellar 42-plus-year career.
Tara Fine, channel chief for VMware Canada, who worked closely with Reid to develop a strategic vendor alliance for Tech Data while at Dell Canada, presented Reid with the CDN Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 CDN Top 100 Gala.
Long time Softchoice leader Dave MacDonald also received a great ovation at the CDN Top 100 gala.
After 16 years of unprecedented success in the solution provider channel, Dave MacDonald retired from the Canadian IT industry as the President and CEO of Softchoice, one of CDN’s Top 100 Solution Providers.
At the CDN Top 100 Solution Providers Gala in Toronto, CA Technologies Canada Patrick Richer presented MacDonald with a CDN Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Canadian channel community were treated to an in-depth workshop from Richard McLeod, the global channel chief of BlackBerry.
A packed room heard McLeod outline how BlackBerry has shifted its focus from smartphone devices to software. McLeod said, the company now wants to be known for its security and “enterprise of things” technology. The company has placed a new emphasis on making sure these services create opportunities for its partners and vendors in the channel.
This year’s CDN Top 100 event featured a double bill workshop featuring an interactive session on channel financing from Wells Fargo Canada.
Terry Moore and Kristin Godwin of Wells Fargo explained to the solution providers in attendance how the company wants to be the financial provider of choice for Canadian channel partners, offering its expertise, user-friendly online portals, global reach, as well as numerous customizable products and services, to help businesses grow and manage their growth.
GTA Corporate Dealership Group graciously provided the CDN Top 100 gala with a gorgeous 2017 Mercedes-Benz E Class Sedan with advanced technology package. And, it was a hit with the attendees with several channel executives taking selfies with the automobile along with checking out all the high tech gadgets inside the vehicle.
The Canadian Channel Chiefs Council (C4) also sponsored the Top 100 show and provided guests with a chance to test drive super cars from BMW and Ferrari.
Pictured here with ITWC’s Marc Bonoan is Jessica Benzinger and Sabena Singh of Environics
