Dive Brief:
- Unified communications provider Mitel tapped Ben Macdonald to lead its partner operations as VP of global channel go-to-market, the company said Tuesday. Macdonald is a channel veteran who most recently served as VP of global sales and channels at UC vendor Owl Labs.
- Macdonald will oversee Mitel’s expanding network of more than 6,000 partners, which was revamped in anticipation of a major UC sales cycle earlier this year. Steve Loebrich, former head of channel distribution and sales, will stay on as Americas channel leader and Steffen Kruger, who was head of the company’s partner programs, will also remain part of the channel unit, the company told Channel Dive.
- “The unified communications market is entering a significant refresh cycle, creating new opportunities for partners to guide customers through complex technology decisions,” Macdonald said in an email. “By bringing together our channel strategy, partner program and operational execution under a unified leadership model, we are strengthening our ability to support partners globally in capitalizing on the next wave of transformation.”
Dive Insight:
Macdonald’s appointment comes as Mitel grapples with the aftermath of a major upheaval.
The company emerged from post-bankruptcy financial restructuring last June, appointing a freshly minted board of directors and recruiting CEO Mike Robinson. The partner program overhaul came in February, tied to a hybrid-communications strategy reorientation that banked on customers replacing outdated hardware.
Research commissioned by Mitel indicated that more than two-thirds of businesses have used their current communications systems for at least seven years. Most are pivoting to hybrid-cloud architectures.
To meet clients where they are, Mitel retooled its product line, integrating f on-premises infrastructure for critical communications with public cloud scalability, Loebrich told Channel Dive in February.
Mitel’s new partner program includes points-based compensation and customer outcome incentives, following a broad industry trend to encourage partners to provide services in addition to generating sales.
“The partner opportunity in business communications right now is exceptional,” Macdonald said in the Tuesday announcement. “Organizations across every sector are rethinking their communications infrastructure, and they're turning to trusted channel partners to guide that journey.”
There are challenges ahead for the industry, according to Omdia, a Channel Dive sister company. Communication vendor revenues decreased 16% year over year in 2025, due to a slowdown in on-prem procurements, sluggish cloud adoption and geopolitical instability, the analyst firm said in a March report. In the next several years, Omdia expects less precipitous year-over-year market declines to continue.
