The prestigious MSP 501 Executive of the Year award celebrates visionary executives who have redefined leadership excellence in the managed services and technology channel. It recognizes a transformational leader who has demonstrated exceptional strategic vision, decisive action, and measurable impact—navigating their organization through industry disruption while creating sustainable competitive advantage.
The executive of the year embodies the perfect balance of business acumen, technological foresight, and human leadership that defines the next generation of channel excellence. The executive of the year award celebrates rare leaders who combine strategic brilliance with operational excellence, technological vision with human understanding, and business success with positive impact. Winners demonstrate not just what they've achieved, but how they've achieved it—setting new standards for leadership excellence in the managed services industry.
The criteria our judges looked at include:
- Business Performance & Strategic Vision
- Transformational Leadership
- Organizational Excellence & Culture
- Market Leadership & Industry Impact
- Community & Societal Contribution
- Technology Vision & Innovation
Here are the nominees in alphabetical order by company name:
360 SOC CEO Chris Ichelson helped the MSP grow significantly in the past year while pivoting more to managed services from professional services and legacy security software sales.
ATB Technologies CEO Ramon Bahl started the fast-growing company in 2002 with two employees and has more than doubled its size in the past seven years alone.
Atlas Technica CEO Serge Bukhar has made Atlas Technica an MSP leader since its 2016 inception by focusing on using best-of-breed public cloud products and services.
Blue Mantis CEO Josh Dineen rebranded the company and grew its global workforce from 250 to nearly 600 in three years.
Blue Paladin CTO Cameron Call led a company-wide rebranding from Network Security Associates to Blue Paladin, which reflects a more modern, customer-first approach.
BlueBird IT Solutions CEO John Solomos helped transform BlueBird from a basement startup into a giant Canadian dedicated Healthcare MSP.
Braden Business Systems CEO Erik Braden has helped grow the company from a respected regional services firm to a nationally ranked MSP and industry benchmark with significant 2024 growth in revenue and recurring services.
Carbon60 CEO Ryan Smith has reimagined Carbon60's business model to capitalize on emerging market opportunities by shifting focus towards high-value, outcome-driven services, particularly in cloud infrastructure (IaaS, PaaS) and custom AI solutions.
Expedient CEO Bryan Smith has helped the company realize record-setting results across all major financial and operational indicators including revenue growth, profitability, expansion of clients, services and geography, and market valuation.
Fencecore CEO Dan Munk has positioned Fencecore as a national and cross-border MSP by introducing modular managed services, enhanced cybersecurity assessments, and cloud-first transformation packages tailored for SMBs.
iCorps Technologies CEO Michael Hadley has led the MSP through major technological and market transitions by embracing artificial intelligence to deliver more tailored, valuable outcomes for clients.
IT Support RI CEO Paul Riendeau has elevated the company from a local IT repair shop into a regional MSP powerhouse, known for its reliability, innovation, and client-first approach.
ITRM CTO Mike Castle has been with the MSP for 9 years, showing strategic foresight, operational leadership, and a deep commitment to technical excellence while driving its cybersecurity business.
Jolera CRO Chris Black has led the MSP to significant financial growth and strategic expansion in the sales and channel partner ecosystem while enhancing its market presence.
LogicalNet's Tush Nikollaj has owned and operated Logical Net for 30 years, and helped LogicalNet successfully pivot toward a consultative, client-oriented model of managed IT and cybersecurity services in 2024.
Magnitech CEO Tim Pabich led a company-wide restructuring by reducing overhead and reinvesting in service delivery to improve operational improvement and increase revenue and profits.
Micro-Tech USA CEO Ethan Gillani turned a break-fix MSP with modest revenue into a security-first, AI-powered MSP supporting 127 businesses and over 3,500 endpoints nationwide in five years.
NexusTek CEO Hamilton Yu has been in the industry for more than two decades, and in his first year as NexusTek chief in 2024 led it to significant revenue growth and expanded brand visibility.
Otava CEO TJ Houske is committed to advancing the managed services industry by leading with thought leadership and encouraging others to do the same.
Otto IT CEO Milan Rajkovic has helped the Australian MSP significantly grow revenue over 22 years, transitioning from traditional break/fix and flat-rate IT into strategic service tiers with clearly defined outcomes.
Performive CEO Wayne Kiphart is an experienced tech leader who has led Performive through a phase of high growth and market differentiation while building a culture rooted in trust, innovation, and resilience.
Richard Fleischman & Associates (RFA) CEO Yohan Kim spent nearly 20 years with the MSP, leading an expansion of its cloud infrastructure delivery, investing in embedded communication platforms, and launching a cybersecurity division that now represents a core part of the business.
Spectrotel CEO Ross Artale helped Spectrotel shift from a telecom aggregator into a technology-enabled managed network service provider for mid-market and distributed enterprises.
Summit 7 CEO Scott Edwards has steered the company through consistent, high-growth years while remaining grounded in a mission-driven culture focused on national security and long-term client success.
Supra ITS CEO Sanjeev Spolia has led the MSP for more than 25 years, helping it transform from a traditional IT services provider into a modern, agile managed services partner delivering comprehensive, secure, and scalable technology solutions across North America.
Techary CEO Tom Stephens over the past 13 years has built Techary into a modern, globally scaled managed services provider by redefining the traditional MSP model through a vision rooted in customer outcomes and innovation.
Tekie Geek CEO Mike Bloomfield helped scale the company from a local IT support provider into a nationally recognized cybersecurity-focused MSP.
Total IT CEO Steve Dunmall has helped Total IT consistently increase profit year-on-year while doubling its headcount.
WorkSmart CEO Mike Hamuka joined the MSP in 2024, sharpened its focus on long-term client relationships, operational efficiency, and value-driven service offerings.