Schneider Electric Names European Channel Chief, AI Ecosystem Leader

Schneider Electric has named a new European channel chief, while also appointing an executive to lead artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem initiatives, the sustainable IT solutions provider announced.

The key moves involve:

• Hanne Sjøberg becomes VP of channels, Secure Power division, Europe. Her focus: Lead the continued growth of Schneider Electric’s channel organization and support its mission to be "customers trusted partner for sustainability and efficiency," the company said.
• David Terry, VP of IT Channels, Europe, shifts to a new role leading AI Ecosystem efforts. His focus: Ensure that the channel is able to navigate the growth demand of the artificial intelligence megatrend, the company said.

Empowering Channel Partners for Smart Buildings, Sustainable IT Services

Sjøberg and Terry shift to their new roles amid Schneider Electric's effort to capitalize on smart buildings, data centers and networks, infrastructure, and industry solutions that improve energy management and industrial automation. In each of those areas, Schneider Electric emphasizes "electrification, automation and digitization to enable a sustainable future."

Sjøberg joined Schneider Electric in 2016. Her previous roles involved customer satisfaction, human resources (HR) and business development for both the Baltic and Nordic regions, the company noted. Sjøberg has substantial channel experience. She previously was managing director at TD SYNNEX Denmark, leading the distributor's Danish arm for five years.

Now, Sjøberg will focus on ensuring the success of Schneider Electric's EcoXpert Partner Program, which launched in July 2024.

Meanwhile, Terry will now focus on helping partners and end-users leverage "highly resilient and energy efficient data center infrastructure to support their AI workloads," the company said.

Schneider Electric Names Channel Leader, AI Ecosystem Leader

In a prepared statement about the new executive roles, Marc Garner, senior VP, Schneider Electric, Secure Power, Europe said: “I’m delighted to name Hanne Sjøberg our new European VP for Channels, her passion for people, sustainability and innovation will be integral to both the success of our new EcoXpert Partner Program, and in building on the successes of our forthcoming product, commercial and partner initiatives. I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank David Terry for his exceptional channel leadership during the last 11 years and look forward to our continued work together as we target the evolving ecosystem around AI.”

Added Sjøberg: “I have always been fascinated by the speed of transformation taking place within the technology sector, and more so considering the growing demand for AI, critical IT, and sustainability solutions. I’m excited to begin my new role as VP for Channels, Europe, and look forward to working with our partners to ensure they’re equipped with the tools, training and support to meet these evolving market opportunities.”

Channel Partners and Generative AI Trends: Questions to Note

Among the big industry question marks to keep in mind:

1. How far along are hyperscale cloud providers -- such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud -- in their shift toward AI-optimized hardware such as Nvidia GPUs?
2. Other than OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, what SaaS-based AI applications will emerge for channel partners to sell and support?
3. What types of solutions will emerge to make AI workloads more energy efficient?

We'll be watching to see how Schneider Electric assists channel partners with each of those questions in the weeks and months ahead.