Ep 25 | Driving Partnership Success from the C-Suite

In this episode of the Unlearn podcast, hosts Asher Mathew and Kelly Sarabyn sit down with Mekaela Davis, Chief Partner Officer at Trintech. 

With experience at both Big 4 consulting firms and enterprise software companies, Mekaela shares her unconventional journey to becoming a CPO. She discusses the diverse skills required and the importance of executive-level accountability. Mekaela also offers insights into building a partner-first culture, optimizing ISV partnerships, and translating qualitative partnership impacts into compelling narratives. Mekaela is also recognized within the VISTA Equity portfolio as a trailblazer in the CPO role, responsible for scaling partnerships across her organization.

Chapters - 

00:00 - Partnerships and alliances in scaling companies

04:40 - Career paths, including engineering, surgery, and partner operations

08:39 - Path to Chief Partnership Officer role

13:54 - Partnerships and integrations between tech companies

20:15 - Partner management challenges and solutions

26:52 - Partnerships, strategy, and becoming a Chief Partner Officer

31:00 - Partnerships, alliances, and 360-degree relationships in professional services

34:58 - Career progression and leadership role evolution

39:52 - Changes in role from SVP to CPO, including new responsibilities and expectations

44:37 - Leadership roles in partner programs, challenges faced by SVPs, and benefits of becoming a Chief Partner Officer

48:37 - Importance of CEO buy-in for partnership success

52:33 - Partner management and culture with a CEO and their team

Key Takeaways - 

• Having a dedicated Chief Partner Officer (CPO) role is crucial for leading partnerships at an executive level and ensuring proper focus, allocation of resources, and accountability.

• To be effective in the role of CPO, one needs diverse experiences encompassing roles in accounting, marketing, business development, and other areas.

• It's essential to cultivate a partner-friendly culture within the organization, starting from the ground up with a strong commitment from the CEO and consistent reinforcement.

• In addition to quantitative metrics, it's important to convey qualitative narratives about partnerships to boards and stakeholders, highlighting their significance beyond just key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Optimizing partnerships between technology companies holds strategic importance in enhancing customer experiences and overall outcomes.

Key Quotes-

“Companies that get funded, say, here's a use case, and go sell it to one department, meaning one person. Then they go find other departments or other people in the same company and sell the same use case. So that's one way to build your business. The other way to build your business is you find a persona, and then you do everything for that person and make them look like a hero.” - Asher Mathew

"Building a truly partner-first culture requires constant reinforcement from the top down. As CPO, I work closely with our CEO to ensure partners are part of every communication, from company-wide emails to press interviews. It's about repetition so that partner-focus becomes second nature for our entire organization." - Mekaela Davis

"As someone who has worked at both startups and larger enterprises, I've seen it work both ways depending on the situation. At a young startup, focusing intensely on a niche persona is often the best strategy to quickly gain traction. But for a more established company, expanding into new use cases once the core product is established can also drive significant growth. It really comes down to understanding your unique market and customers at each stage of the business." - Kelly Sarabyn