CRN Channel Awards Australia: Sponsor Q&A With Mathew Howard, General Manager, ANZ Channel at Crayon

Mathew Howard discusses Crayon’s support for the CRN Channel Awards Australia and the changing role of channel partners in ANZ

What prompted you to sponsor the CRN Channel Awards Australia this year?

Here at Crayon and Software One, channel is the heart of everything we do. Supporting the CRN Channel Awards was an easy decision for us to make. Our success is seen when partners have success and the awards are a great opportunity to recognize innovation in the market, customer impact and growth happening across the Australian channel. It's also a great chance to celebrate the people and businesses that are helping shape the future of the industry, particularly as things like AI, cloud and security continue to create new opportunities for us all.

Given the uniqueness of Australian partners, how important is it to recognize their success in the channel?

I think it's incredibly important. Australian partners continue to deliver great outcomes for their customers in quite a unique market and often with relatively lean teams. They're constantly adapting, innovating and finding new ways to deliver value to their customers. I think awards like this help recognize those achievements and highlights the great work that's been done right across the industry.

How important is the partner ecosystem to your growth in Australia?

It isn't just important to our growth; it is our growth. Everything we do is focused on helping partners grow. We only grow if our partners grow their business, whether that's through cloud security and AI, managed services, [or] finding new commercial opportunities for them. Customers want trusted advisors who can bring together different technologies and skills. That's why a strong ecosystem really matters.

What have been the biggest challenges of the current year so far and how have your partners helped you overcome them?

The biggest challenge we're facing today is the pace of change, not the fact that the industry is going through change. The three areas I talk a lot about – AI, security and cloud – continue to evolve incredibly rapidly. Partners are trying to keep on top of all this change whilst continue to deliver for their customers. For us here at Crayon, our focus has been on helping our partners build that skill set, capability and expertise, and turn those opportunities into practical outcomes for them. What stands out the most is the resilience that we see in this particular market. Whether that's the people or our partners, they really lean into the change. They keep learning and continue to deliver great outcomes for their customers.

How would you define the partner of the future?

The partner of the future looks very different from the partner of the past. The partner of the future will be one hundred percent business- led. They’ll be services- led and they'll be AI enabled. It won't be about selling the technology anymore, which is what it was about when I got into the industry. It will be about helping customers solve their business challenges and achieve meaningful outcomes.

The most successful partners will be the ones that combine technical expertise with strong services capabilities, embracing AI and working closely with others in the ecosystem to deliver great value for their customers. No one organization can drive innovation by themselves anymore, and you have to learn how to partner very well to deliver those outcomes.