Dell Channel Heads On Rola Dagher Departure And Partner Strategy Ahead

With the departure of Rola Dagher as channel chief, Dell Technologies is consolidating the leadership under executives Denise Millard and Diego Majdalani.

After Rola Dagher’s departure, Denise Millard (pictured) has reached the top channel role at Dell Technologies where she will shape the operational strategy for the leading IT hardware infrastructure provider as it leans more on partners to deliver for their customers on the promise of AI and hybrid cloud.

Millard’s new title is Dell’s SVP, Global Alliances, Industries, Partner Strategy and Programs. She will continue to lead Dell’s global alliances and industries organization.

“If you think about the contribution of the partners, they drove approximately 50-percent of the net revenue, and channel drives 65-percent of our new buyers and reactivated buyers. So the model is working. The program is working. We have a ton of momentum,” Millard said from Hopkinton, Mass., in an exclusive interview with CRN following the announcement.

Millard started her career 25 years ago with EMC where was part of the team that launched its first partner program, the EMC Velocity Program. Her team will include another longtime Dell and EMC veteran Darren Sullivan. She will lead Dell’s channel team alongside Diego Majdalani, the president of global channel sales, and report to Dell Technologies President of Global Sales and Customer Operations Bill Scannell.

“I think you could say that Dell has a dual leader strategy. I have responsibility for alliances, industries, and the partner program strategy and operations, working directly, hand-in-hand, with Diego who runs channel sales,” Millard said.

After three years of being Dell Technologies’ worldwide channel chief, Rola Dagher has left the infrastructure giant to pursue a career outside of Dell. Rola Dagher became Dell’s global channel leader in August 2020, tasked with leading the company’s massive channel business.

Dell Technologies confirmed to CRN on Monday that Dagher has opted to pursue a role outside of the company. The Round Rock, Texas-based vendor did not specify where or what opportunity Dagher was pursuing. In a LinkedIn post Tuesday morning, Dagher thanked Michael Dell, Bill Scannell, and Jeff Clarke. She said she did not have an announcement on what was next.

“As this chapter comes to a close, I feel fortunate to take with me the memories, achievements, and moments that I will hold near and dear,” Dagher wrote. “But with every ending comes the promise of a new beginning. And I step forward ready to embrace what’s next.”

CRN talked exclusively with Millard and Majdalani following the announcement.

Denise, some big changes were announced today to channel leadership over at Dell. Can you get me up to speed?

Millard: Last time we were together, we talked alliances and industries. And so today we’re talking about leadership changes that we’ve made on the Dell side relative to the partner coverage model.

So you probably have already heard through some of the news that we’ve distributed, so I guess the first thing is that Rola Dagher (pictured) has decided to pursue another opportunity outside of Dell Technologies.

That gives us an opportunity to kind of rethink and we’ve been down this path of a one partner program, right, so thinking much broader in terms of the ecosystem and the routes to market, so as as it relates to that we’re taking this opportunity to take Rola’s team, and we’re taking Darren Sullivan’s team so that is the partner program strategy and operations team. We’re putting that under Darren Sullivan and then Darren is going to move under my team. So I will have global alliances. I will continue to have industries, which is our ISV ecosystem. And then I will have the partner program strategy and operations.

The plan there is that just like before, we will have a dual leader strategy. So Diego and I have worked together for many years. I think I mentioned last time we were together I’ve been with the company for 25 years. So he will talk in a moment but he will still have responsibility for channel sales execution.

Diego, do you see any changes to your organization as a result of this?

Majdalani: The way to see it is we’re going to both be working together. In the beginning of this year, I took over channel sales, I had international and we added North America.

I will continue to be the global channel sales president. And Denise is taking over as she described, programs, operations and alliances. So on the sales side, not much changed. We will continue driving the way we’re driving, which has proven to be quite successful. So, we’re going to continue the way we’re doing it. So it’s not a major change. I would say no change to the sales side and easier, tighter, faster integration within Denise and the alliance system.

OK, so Denise, as you take on this bigger operational role in the channel, what can partners expect here from the first 30 days of a Millard administration?

Millard: Fair question. So, I mean, I think that really no changes.

As Diego said, I mean, we’re going to be consistent and predictable. We just made a number of changes to the partner program coming into the year, we obviously just had a really strong Q2 across our ecosystem.

If you think about the contribution of the partners, they drove approximately 50 percent of the net revenue, and channel drives 65 percent of our new buyers and reactivated buyers. So the model is working. The program is working. We have a ton of momentum. We’re just entering the season of starting to plan for fiscal year 2025, so I would say it would be much too early to kind of comment on any level of changes.

What’s the biggest focus?

With the partner-first strategy that just launched, that’s our biggest focus. It is accelerating growth with our partners, leveraging some of the program changes we just implemented at Dell Tech World.

Who should partners look at as the channel chief?

Majdalani: Do they want to sell [gestures to himself], or do they want to discuss the program [gestures to Millard] and join us.

Millard: I think you could say that Dell has a dual-leader strategy. I have responsibility for alliances, industries, and the partner program strategy and operations, working directly, hand-in-hand, with Diego who runs channel sales.

Majdalani : Until yesterday, Rola was working on the strategy, the prime strategy piece, that element. Then Darren (Sullivan) was working on the operation side, and Denise was working on the alliances side. And I was running on the sales piece. Now all we’re doing is bringing all those three first elements together under Denise, the industry, the strategy and the operation; and then the sales side continues to be just as it was, up until this point.