At Channel Partners Expo, we honored 12 Circle of Excellence inductees based on their outstanding channel support. We also talked to these channel leaders to see what made them tick, both during and outside of business hours. We wanted to get a good feel for their predictions, proud moments and passions.

You can see more about the Circle of Excellence winners here and in Channel Futures. As for their 2025 predictions, they predictably included intelligent takes on artificial intelligence (AI).

“I believe this will be the year many IT providers move from AI experimentation to monetization, said Eric Torres of Pax8. “AI-driven services are projected to grow by over 30% in 2025, reshaping MSP operations. This growth will be driven by the adoption of agentic AI which plays a major role in automating tasks and data analysis.”

HaloPSA’s chief commercial officer Tim Barton-Wines’s 2025 AI forecast is for it to come out of the fog and into the light.

“The marketing hype of AI powered products will die, with clarity of real AI driven products emerge from the fog as MSP customer AI education increases,” Barton-Wines said.

Liongard CEO Michelle Accardi points to how AI will increasingly factor into cybersecurity.

“The ability to continuously monitor and respond to threats in real-time, using AI to prioritize risks and automate remediation, will be a game-changer for the channel,” Accardi said.

She also expects attack surface management (ASM) to play a larger role as cybersecurity becomes even more important to MSPs.

“As cyber threats become more sophisticated and widespread, the role of cybersecurity will transition from a specialized service to a core offering for all MSPs,” Accardi said. “MSPs will increasingly be seen not just as IT service providers, but as trusted cybersecurity partners. As organizations face mounting threats, MSPs will need to offer robust security strategies, with ASM as a key element in identifying, assessing, and addressing vulnerabilities.”

Verizon channel chief Mark Tina focused his prediction on the data side of AI.

“Leveraging advanced data analytics unlocks targeted customer understanding, while investing in AI and automation will help scale operations efficiently,” Tina said. “I recommend complementing the analytics investments with solution-based selling investments to give sellers the best odds to win business from the identified targets. Equipping sellers with consultative sales methods and tools allows specific customer pain points to be addressed with tailored solutions rather than just commoditized products. This customer-centric approach leads to higher-value offerings and lasting customer relationships.”

Joan Logan, president of GTT’s Americas Division, had a more general prediction, and a rosy one.

“The complexities around technology and resources will continue to grow the importance of the channel,” Logan said. “2025 will be a year of growth and success.”

ConnectUS Wireless executive VP Rick James Stapp also sees complexity leading to channel growth, but only if partners listen closely to their customers.

“The channel is in a flux,” Stapp said. “The economy has shown us that SMB and mid-market businesses are far more educated than partners want to admit. The channel needs to understand that partners feel that they know what they need, it is our job to listen to them, and either agree or give constructive criticism on their situation. Many partners want to sell or support what they know, instead of learning from their customers and adjusting their services to fit what the customers are asking for.”

Circle of Excellence Winners’ Sources of Pride

Besides looking forward, Circle of Excellence winners had much to reflect on with pride in the past year – from their actions that helped them win the honor.

Trend Micro’s VP of US channels Louise McEvoy pointed to Trend Vision One and other AI-driven cybersecurity investments with making partners more engaged.

“The team refreshed our global partner program to ensure all regional best practices were implemented in each region; ensuring all margins, discounts, and spiffs were also aligned globally,” McEvoy said. “The partner portal was (beyond) improved – extended enablement, AI campaigns, partner-branded risk assessments, the ability to get more defined metrics on each partner and their activity within their customer account with Trend.”

Telarus CMO Jennifer Dimas said the TSD expanded its already extensive TA educational initiatives.

“Telarus has always provided a differentiated educational experience to our advisors with the help of our extensive supplier community,” Dimas said. “Last year, we extended our educational offerings so that our coursework meets our advisors where they are based on what they want to learn and how they want to learn it. We are proud of the depth, breadth and impact of this educational program to help our advisors grow their businesses.”

Kristy Thomas, SVP of Global Channel & Alliances at Vonage said Vonage revamped its partner support system, aligning its sales team to where the partner is located rather than where the customer is located. The shift allows partners to know who they are going to sell with.

“We have made a strategic decision to change the way in which we support our partners nationwide,” Thomas said. “We have instituted a partner-first approach. It builds trust. It's one of the biggest sticking points I think a lot of partners have. They hate that they get a new sales team every time they originate a deal in a different market. We're trying to build this consistency with our partners.”

Exploring Circle of Excellence Winners’ Passions

This is the fun part, where we see just how interesting this group of elite channel leaders can be. We asked them to share their secret ambitions and tell them what they would do for a year if money were no object.

McEvoy said she would scale a mountain. Literally. Make that one more mountain, because she’s already climbed the highest peak on all but one continent. That includes Mt. Everest.

“I have one left to go,” McEvoy said. “After my mountaineering career, I plan to systematically take down industries that exploit animals for profit – the down industry, zoos, aquariums and circuses, trophy hunting, fur farming, exotic skins industry, and much more.

She’s not the only one who would head to faraway lands, although others will stick to lower ground.

“I would walk the Camino de Santiago and the many trails associated with it,” Logan said.

Pointing out that he travels more than 40 weeks a year, Torres said “If money were no object and I could do anything for a year, I'd unapologetically do absolutely nothing but surround myself with my loved ones, on a beach and golf course.”

Alicia Richter, Sr. Manager, T-Mobile for Business, said she would “spend time traveling to different parts of the world with my family, engaging with diverse cultures and learning from local communities how to give back more freely and exist together more peacefully. It would include studying art and design in Paris and meditation/yoga in India – all while eating delicious food, of course.”

Michael Quince, Regional VP, Partner Sales, NICE, is also passionate about food. Explaining why the smart phone is the greatest invention ever, he said “It's a camera, entertainment hub, communication tool, and travel guide. Without it, No TikTok or Uber Eats.”

As for his secret ambition, Quince said, “Dethroning Dave Portnoy. It’s time for me to crush pizzerias with my highly scientific pizza rating. No crust goes unjudged, and no cheese pull un-noticed. I'm ready to be Pizza King.

Fortinet VP of channel sales Ken McCray, VP, Channel Sales said his passion is tightly connected to his job.

“Teaching is my passion,” he said. “The channel is my classroom, and mentoring and educating my team is the most rewarding part of my job. Teamwork is the key attitude to our success.”