OREANDA-NEWS. Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLCM), announced today that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Deandra Cassidy, Director of Global Channel Programs and Peggy Crespin, Director of Channel Sales to its list of the 2016 Power 100, an elite subset of its prestigious annual Women of the Channel list. This list identifies an exclusive group of channel influencers drawn from the larger pool of CRN’s 2016 Women of the Channel: the most powerful women leaders across IT channel organizations whose expertise and vision have positioned their companies for success.

CRN’s editorial team selects the Women of the Channel honorees on the basis of their professional accomplishments, demonstrated expertise and ongoing dedication to the channel. However, only the most influential of the list’s constituents are selected for the Power 100, each singled out for her unique role in the advancement of her own organization and the IT channel at large.

Deandra Cassidy has been invaluable in the creation of Polycom’s new partner program focused on building partner competencies in order for partners to recognize new revenue streams, increased margins, and a greater return on investment. Deandra also supported the creation of Polycom’s new partner locator tool, which is designed to drive demand and new revenue opportunities for those partners who have invested in developing the skills and competencies our customers demand.

Peggy Crespin has worked with Polycom’s key channel partners to build comprehensive business plans that resulted in annual growth for many partner organizations. She also worked with her team to increase alignment between internal sales and partner sales teams through account mapping sessions to identify new customer opportunities. The team increased both sales and technical competency within the partner community, accelerated pipeline growth via marketing initiatives, and leveraged our distribution model to recruit and develop additional partners.

“These executives have made a lasting mark on our industry—growing and elevating partner programs, leading transitions to new business models and introducing cutting-edge go-to-market strategies, among other remarkable achievements,” said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. “We congratulate all the 2016 Women of the Channel and celebrate their singular contributions to the advancement of the channel ecosystem.”

“Both Deandra and Peggy have been instrumental in the growth and maintenance of Polycom’s partner relationships,” said Chris Jones, President, Americas Sales, Polycom. “Initiatives led by these outstanding leaders have generated great results for both Polycom and our partners.”

About Polycom

Polycom helps organizations unleash the power of human collaboration. More than 400,000 companies and institutions worldwide defy distance with secure video, voice and content solutions from Polycom to increase productivity, speed time to market, provide better customer service, expand education and save lives. Polycom and its global partner ecosystem provide flexible collaboration solutions for any environment that deliver the best user experience, the broadest multi-vendor interoperability and unmatched investment protection.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace.