HP has held its first-ever Proximity Partner Accelerate Awards, recognising the smaller, more entrepreneurial partners within its channel that often don’t get a chance to share the limelight with their bigger counterparts.
About 200 partners gathered at the Longmeadow function centre to see Valucorp and Big Time Strategic each take two of the inaugural awards, while Tarsus and Drive Control Corporation took top honours in the distributor category.
“This is a very important occasion for us tonight,” HP channel manager, Yugen Naidoo told the assembled partners. “Why? Because these are the first-ever Proximity Awards. Because it is about us acknowledging you – and for us to say ‘thank-you’ for your business. HP is a channel-centric organisation with about 93% of our business going through the channel model. We sell a PC every second throughout the world and that’s not possible without our partners – no matter how big or how small.
“Tonight is about recognising the important contribution you, as our partners, make to our business,” Naidoo adds. “You’re our most valuable asset, because you are the growth engine of our company, and we want to empower you to ensure that you can continue to compete and grow in what are difficult economic conditions and in what is a fiercely competitive market.”
The inaugural Proximity Partner Accelerate Awards went to:
HP PPS Print Business Partner of the Year: Gratz Global
HP PPS PC Business Partner of the Year: Valucorp
HP PPS Supplies Business Partner of the Year: Xoffice Stationer
HP PPS Public Sector Partner of the Year: Big Time Strategic
HP PPS Most Certified Partner of the Year: Omni Africa
Highest Deal Acquisition FY15: Big Time Strategic
Best Proximity Salesperson in Distribution: Stacy Woods, Tarsus
Proximity Coverage Distributor of the Year: Drive Control
Distributor of the Year: Tarsus
HP PPS Business Partner of the Year: Valucorp
