Meet the modern-day channel leader embodied in AWS’s top partner executive. Dr. Ruba Borno is part CEO, chief customer experience officer, technologist, visionary and more. Borno set a new benchmark for channel leaders in the tech sector with her main stage keynote at the 2026 AWS re:Invent conference last week. Her performance left little doubt that she is one of the most influential partner executives in the industry today.
Over the years, I’ve observed many pioneering and larger-than-life channel leaders, including those at the helm of dominant players such as Microsoft, Compaq (back in the day), IBM, HP, and Intel. Few, if any, have delivered a keynote as impactful and commanding as Borno’s at re:Invent.
For more than an hour, Borno owned the stage, seamlessly weaving together enterprise case studies, program updates, breaking news, and a drop-the-mic testimonial from Condé Nast's CTO Sanjay Bhakta. Bhakta shared insight into just how behind the tech curve the publisher was in 2020 before transforming its business to digital subscriptions five years later. His advice in this AI era is “to implement your AI strategy, trust in your data is the most essential thing. We invested heavily in governance, semantic, business definitions, taxonomy, data lineage and data quality. Bring AI to your data rather than trying to take your data to AI. Align every team around one trusted data strategy.”
In and around Bhata’s talk, Borno showcased movie-quality videos, announced the companies that surpassed billion-dollar milestones in AWS Marketplace such as Datadog ($2B), Salesforce ($3B) and Snowflake ($3B), and concluded with a one-on-one discussion with her boss, AWS CEO Matt Garman.
It was a highly produced, choreographed, and scripted presentation, something only a company with AWS’s resources could execute—but Borno’s delivery was what truly made it exceptional. You just don’t see this kind of effort from every major tech and telco company to elevate their channel leader the way AWS did. It is proof of just how important the channel is to today’s technology companies. Partner-driven sales make up a good percentage of AWS’ third quarter revenue of $33B which was up 20 percent year over year. That $33B contributed mightily to Amazon’s net sales of $180B.
“We have found the best partners all do one thing exceptionally well,” Borno said. “They know how to help customers get value out of their data to reveal entirely new possibilities, even in the most unexpected, unforgiving, and uncontrollable places.”
That statement encapsulated the essence of AWS’s partner strategy and underscored the critical role of partners in driving customer success. For partners achieving Agentic AI applications competencies, Borno said they will receive 50% more in MDF along with special badging in the AWS Marketplace. Taking a jab at her hyperscaler competitors, Borno pointed to AWS’ investment in competencies that showcase “the difference between experimentation that has the illusion of progress and transformation that actually delivers results.”
Lessons for Channel Leaders
Borno’s keynote offered several key takeaways for channel leaders across the industry. First, her role as VP of Global Specialists and Partners highlights the importance of expanding the definition of a partner beyond just sellers. AWS’s approach to partnerships encompasses a vast ecosystem, demonstrating how modern channel leadership requires a broader, more inclusive vision.
Second, the complexity of today’s channel landscape was on full display. With countless incentives, support layers, tech solutions, services, programs, and routes to market, navigating this ecosystem is no small feat. Borno’s ability to address this complexity while maintaining a clear and compelling narrative is a lesson in itself for channel leaders.
Opportunities for Improvement
While Borno’s keynote was a masterclass in channel leadership, there were areas where AWS could have done more to inspire its broader partner base. The presentation focused heavily on enterprise customers and customers such as Toyota and Conde’ Nast. While these are undoubtedly important sectors, AWS must also engage and motivate the midmarket and small business partners who represent significant scale and growth potential.
Additionally, the channel business remains, at its core, a relationship-driven industry. Overly scripted keynotes filled with corporate clichés can sometimes overshadow the human side of leadership. Senior leaders of partner organizations value authenticity and vulnerability—qualities that build trust and loyalty. Speaking from the heart about advocating for partners across all levels of the organization can resonate deeply with the audience.
Ruba Borno set a new standard for channel leadership with her keynote at AWS re:Invent. Her ability to redefine partnerships, deliver a compelling vision, and command the stage was nothing short of remarkable. As the channel continues to evolve, leaders must strive to balance polished presentations with authentic connections to inspire trust and loyalty across all partner segments. As a longtime channel observer, it was incredible to witness such a transformative moment. Borno has raised the bar for what it means to be a channel leader in today’s complex and dynamic tech landscape.
Garman's presentation showcased AWS's advancements in generative AI, autonomous agents, and AI chips, reflecting the company's focus on enabling businesses to leverage AI for operational efficiency and innovation. A key theme was the democratization of AI, with AWS introducing tools and services designed to make AI more accessible and scalable for developers and enterprises. For instance, the Amazon Bedrock AgentCore was unveiled, offering enhanced policy controls, quality monitoring, and natural conversation capabilities to help organizations deploy trusted AI agents confidently.
In addition to AI, Garman highlighted AWS's efforts to optimize cloud operations. New features for Amazon S3, such as Intelligent-Tiering and replication support, were introduced to simplify cost optimization and improve performance. These updates aim to enhance storage efficiency and streamline data management across regions and accounts. AWS and rival Google also introduced a multi-cloud network service that allows customers to quickly link between the two hyperscaler clouds.
One of the standout moments of the keynote was Garman's announcement of the Database Savings Plans, a cost-saving initiative designed to appeal to developers and businesses seeking to optimize their database expenditures. This announcement, delivered in a high-energy "10-minute sprint" format, underscored AWS's commitment to addressing customer needs beyond AI, resonating strongly with the audience.
You can find more AWS re:Invent news here.