Datadog new ANZ channel lead on the observability opportunities in the region

Renee Mitsis has years of channel experience at AWS and HPE.

As Australian and New Zealand customers are feeling the pressure around risk, compliance and governance, Renee Mitsis, new head of channel for ANZ at Datadog said observability and security are the perfect pair to mitigate this stress.

Mitsis told CRN Australia, “Partners are rapidly building AI practices, but with customers just as focused on governance and risk, I see observability and security together becoming absolutely critical as a way to give organisations confidence in the foundations they’re building on.”

However, she said with a lot of organisations still running on fragmented, siloed tools, it can be difficult to manage AI and security properly.

“In this partner‑driven market, I see a big opportunity for partners who can bring together observability, security, and AI governance to help customers modernise safely, efficiently and with real confidence,” Mitsis added.

The new ANZ head of channel began her role this month, where she will focus on bringing Datadog’s ANZ partner and alliances team closer together and deepening collaboration with their partners, customers and internal teams.

“A big part of my remit is strengthening our relationships with key cloud providers, as well as regional and global system integrators, so we can better support customers across every stage of their journey,” she said.

“Ultimately, my job is to help our partners tap into the full breadth of Datadog’s unified platform, rather than siloed tools, so we can drive stronger outcomes for customers in the region.”

In the first year of her role, Mitsis wants to bring more “structure” and “cohesion” to their partner ecosystem in the region, so everyone is “pulling in the same direction”.

“A key goal for me is to identify and nurture ‘champion’ partners in areas like AI, security, and DevOps, and help them lead the way on Datadog’s unified platform,” she said.

“I’m focused on helping partners move customers away from siloed tooling and towards a stronger, modern foundation built on Datadog’s full observability and security capabilities.

“If, after 12 months, our partners feel more confident using the breadth of the Datadog portfolio to solve complex customer problems, I’ll feel we’ve had a very successful start.”

Over her career, Mitsis has held sales and partner roles at AWS and HPE. At HPE, she led and founded HPE’s Women’s Leadership Network.

“Through my previous roles I’ve come to understand the power of building communities and talent pipelines, particularly for women – and that is something I’m keen to bring into Datadog’s partner ecosystem,” she said.

“I’ve worked at the intersection of product, marketing, sales and partnerships, and this role at Datadog is a chance to bring all of that together to help partners guide customers through AI, security, and modernisation.”

Mitsis ended, “I’m excited to bring our partner community even closer to our customers and internal teams, and to identify the right partners with the right skills across areas like DevOps, AI and security."