Recognized for their trailblazing efforts in IT, three leaders from two of our CompTIA communities were named to this year’s CRN Power 100 list. Theresa Caragol and Mary Ellen Grom, executive council members for CompTIA’s Advancing Women in IT Community (AWIT), and Heather Murray, board chair for CompTIA’s Mobility Community, were among the influential women named to the annual list of female executives whose work in their respective companies and in the industry helps drive channel success.
Based off of CRN’s Women of the Channel, this year’s Power 100 features 340 women — including several CompTIA members. Curated by the editors of CRN magazine, the broader list is based on the achievements and influence of executives in the technology channel. Both lists recognize the far-reaching impact of women in our industry.
Grom, Caragol and Murray all agreed: Holding an active role in their CompTIA communities has helped them as channel influencers.
Mary Ellen Grom
“I’ve always said, ‘Connect the people, the dots will follow,’” said Grom, who for 20 years has been influencing the channel and currently serves as Vice President of U.S. Marketing for Synnex Corp. “CompTIA enables me to connect on so many levels with channel experts who produce results.”
At Synnex, a Fortune 500 business process services company, Grom leads all business-to-business activities, including implementing channel marketing strategies. In just the past year, Grom designed and launched MarketView 360, a marketing planning tool for manufacturer partners and product management teams, and rolled out a Varnex community portal and enhanced PromoCentral for mobile.
Her CompTIA connection has helped her build what she calls an invaluable network, from consultants to prospective customers to media professionals, vendor partners and industry thought-leaders. “My CompTIA community participation affords me more opportunities to help the channel succeed than I will ever be able to capitalize on,” said Grom, adding that one of her favorite opportunities is mentoring. “It is so incredibly rewarding to guide and encourage business professionals of all ages in their pursuit of IT success. Oftentimes I feel like I get more out of mentoring than I am able to give.”
That extends to her work as an executive council member for CompTIA’s Advancing Women in IT Community.
“Right now, our CompTIA AWIT Community is advancing the industry through Dream IT, a noble mission to impact 10,000 future female leaders and generate interest in technology-oriented careers,” Grom said. “It is a powerful movement designed to create change.”
Giving back to the industry is important to her, because in IT she learns something every day. “Technology is ever-changing at a mindboggling pace. CompTIA provides me a community to share my experiences with others and establish a two-way platform for new ideas, feedback and honest, open communication,” she said. “Invaluable!”
Theresa Caragol
Theresa Caragol, vice president of global channels for Extreme Networks, is another channel influencer with 20 years of industry experience. She works on the international stage recruiting people and developing strategic partnerships for her company. She also launched Extreme Networks’ new global partner program, which received CRN’s 5-Star Partner Program Guide award.
“I am very passionate about building a team of A-list players in a company very committed to the channel,” she said, adding that the company approach allows for innovation and visionary initiatives. “A root of success is also helping to mold young professionals and woman in a technology-driven industry.”
Caragol is on the executive council of CompTIA’s Advancing Women in IT Community, and advises TechGirlz, a nonprofit dedicated to introducing young women to IT.
As a channel influencer, she’s always looking for opportunities to help our business partners within Extreme, and does a lot of mentoring: opening young women and men up to opportunities in the IT channel. “I believe in developing people in the industry and in our company, and help them set and achieve goals and exceed their own expectations for themselves,” she said.
Partnering is another belief she holds strongly as a building block for innovation. “Effective partnering across all aspects — channel, technology partners, strategic alliances, suppliers — is all important to building a successful company of the future,” Caragol said. “Developing people and helping colleagues have successful and expansive careers is the real reward of my job, and I am proud to see the growth in many of our team members.”
Her CompTIA community involvement has given her access to resources, tools, material and training, plus networking and community outreach opportunities. “Making a difference in the world and in our industry is something special — and that’s what I seek to do,” she said.
Heather Murray
Promoted to vice president of Tech Data Mobile Solutions in January 2014, Murray leads the strategic marketing and sales efforts for the company’s Tech Data Mobile Solutions business, which offers solution providers the infrastructure needed to simplify entry into the mobile market. A 15-year company veteran, Murray has helped lead Tech Data’s U.S. mobility strategy since the inception of the company’s mobile business.
Murray has worked in the industry for more than 16 years, and works to market the best products and services to solution providers, and ensuring all the vendor partners and carriers she represents have channel-friendly programs.
Representing distribution gives her a unique perspective on solution providers, vendor partners and carriers, she said, who all bring products and services to the marketplace and drive demand. “In my role, I am involved [in] every go-to-market strategy through to the final transaction and work to impart my knowledge to help the community grow and become successful,” she said.
The rapid growth of the mobile marketplace has a lot of solution providers trying to figure out how to maximize business opportunities. Tech Data works to pave the way through training, education and easily implementable business models.
CompTIA’s Mobility Community, on which Murray serves as chair of the 2014 Executive Council and Community Leadership Board, is committed to educating and building awareness in the channel about what mobility means and how to create profitable opportunities.
“Although mobility touches every part of our business, I believe we have yet to see the incredible impact it will have on the IT channel,” she said. “Our objective is to bring together an entire ecosystem of partners who learn from each other and ultimately drive incremental profitable business in the mobility space.”
CompTIA communities are based on an open and collaborative philosophy, and anyone can join and contribute. The communities offer industry-specific networking opportunities and the chance to better understand your field and its direction. Explore the various groups, from cloud to managed print to IT services and support, and sign up for the communities that suit your interests and needs.
Michelle Peterson is a communications specialist for CompTIA.
