In this episode, Mark Edwards sits down with Roy Ferrari, SAP GTM Lead at HCLTech, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it takes to build a billion-pound partnership in the modern enterprise tech landscape. Roy shares insights from the recent SAP Sapphire event in Madrid, the importance of face-to-face interaction in today’s digital-first world, and HCLTech’s evolution from a systems integrator to a strategic SAP partner.

They dig into the rise of AI in sales—from proposal automation to RFP response generation—and what that means for the future of the sales profession. Roy also offers a candid take on the declining quality of sales qualification, the over-reliance on relationships, and why understanding the decision-making ecosystem is more important than ever.

Key Questions Explored:

- What is the role of a go-to-market lead in tech partnerships?

- How is AI reshaping the sales process?

- Why are in-person meetings still critical in an age of automation?

Whether you're in enterprise sales, partnerships, or tech strategy, this episode delivers valuable lessons on adaptation, alignment, and authenticity in modern selling.

In this episode, I interview Mark Shephard, or Shep, EMEA Cloud Alliances Leader at Okta, to explore a remarkable journey from the armed forces to the forefront of cloud sales strategy. We unpack the power of extensibility in tech platforms, the strategic value of collaboration with AWS, and how lessons from sports and the military shape leadership in high-performance environments.

Shep offers insight into the role of a cloud alliances leader, highlighting the trust, forecasting, and teamwork required to thrive in the fast-moving AWS marketplace. Whether it's aligning resellers, enabling regional partners, or simplifying customer transactions, this conversation is a masterclass in modern tech sales collaboration.

You’ll also discover how rugby and military discipline translate to business effectiveness, why Okta sponsors McLaren F1, and what it really means to conduct a sales orchestra.

In this episode of The Channel Zone Podcast, I’m joined by Al Stephens, founder of Darwin Technology Solutions, for a powerful conversation about shaking up the traditional IT procurement model.

Al shares how Darwin is helping IT leaders cut through complexity, connect with the right vendors, and make smarter technology decisions—fast. We dive into what’s broken in the old buying process, why so many organizations end up with overlapping solutions, and how Darwin’s collaborative, data-informed approach is changing the game.

We also touch on the real-world challenges of founding and running a tech business, the importance of delegation, and how emerging technologies like AI are accelerating everything.

👉 If you’re in tech leadership, channel sales, or just wrestling with vendor overload, this one’s for you.