Vince Menzione

Founder of Cloud Wave Partners LLC

I help technology leaders thrive in an era of rapid, tectonic change—mastering Microsoft, AWS, and Google partnerships to drive growth, innovation, and impact.

From scaling startups to leading a $4.6B business at Microsoft, I’ve learned one enduring truth: success is built on meaningful connections—between people, ideas, and opportunities. And the multiplier is always trust.

I was raised in a close-knit Italian family in New Jersey. My grandfather arrived in the U.S. with $20 in his pocket and built sustainable businesses through grit and determination. My dad—an Army veteran of WWII—taught me that integrity and trust aren’t “nice to have.” They’re everything. Those lessons became the foundation of my leadership.

I’ve spent my career building—and rebuilding—organizations through partnerships:

In the startup world, I helped scale a company from $6M to $125M and to a successful public exit.

At General Dynamics, I turned around a struggling division—driving exponential growth, securing $20M in defense appropriations, and delivering roughly a third of the company’s revenue by aligning partners around execution.

Then came nearly a decade at Microsoft, where I led the U.S. Public Sector Partner business through a major transformation. We grew revenue from $2.5B to $4.6B, helped shape the modern cloud reseller model, and built high-performing teams known for alignment, results, and credibility.

But along the way, I saw a gap: leaders didn’t just need strategy decks. They needed focus, practical frameworks, and a trusted space to learn from one another.

So in 2017, I founded Ultimate Partner® to be that compass for technology leaders navigating ecosystem-led growth. Through the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast (270+ episodes) and Ultimate Partner LIVE events, I bring together top voices from Microsoft, AWS, Google, and the broader partner ecosystem. I also developed the 8 Principles of Partnering Success—a practical framework leaders use to align strategy and drive measurable outcomes.

My mission is simple: empower leaders and their organizations to grow with clarity, connection, and credibility—building partnerships that scale with purpose.

If you’re building in the hyperscaler ecosystem—and want to grow faster, execute better, and lead with trust—let’s connect.

Founder

Over six years ago, I embarked on a mission to empower partners struggling to navigate the complex world of tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and AWS. 

Having witnessed the industry from multiple perspectives – leading a $4.6 billion Ecosystem at Microsoft, spearheading partnerships for a billion-dollar company, and hosting 200 episodes of the Ultimate Guide to Partnering®, I’ve gained invaluable insights and crafted a manifesto of principles to guide your success.

In an era defined by tectonic shifts, such as the global pandemic, economic headwinds, and the rise of AI, the role of hyperscalers has become increasingly critical. With investments of billions of dollars in ecosystems, technology, and customer acquisition costs, they have secured over $200 billion in customer commitments to durable cloud budgets. We stand on the precipice of a marketplace moment where simplifying and streamlining economic models associated with co-selling and ecosystem-led growth will shape the decade ahead.

Yet, as vendors and organizations demand more from us while resources diminish, we ask, “Where do we go? How do we navigate these seismic shifts? How do we thrive during this decade of the ecosystem?”

If you’re a partner, you’re likely grappling with these questions. The watering holes of the past no longer offer the guidance required to transform into a Cloud GTM and embrace Ecosystem Led Growth. That’s why Ultimate Partner exists – to be your trusted compass amidst the noise.

Visit our website, tune into Ultimate Guide to Partnering and join The Ultimate Partner LIVE events.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

•	Trained executive speaker on Gen AI applications with AWS, assisting businesses in creating fast 
         start implementation plans.
        - In year 1 built global sales support from a team of  6 to 88 support Worldwide Commercial Sales 
•	Drove data insights team to deliver redesigned pipeline telemetry, prioritizing consumption and net new opportunities and creating a route to market segmentation for sales channels.
•	Create, drive, & communicate the vision across AWS to leverage innovation, machine learning, and artificial Intelligence to reduce the cost of sales support and provide best-in-class analytics & insights. 
•	During my first year in the role, both leadership & employee connections scores improved by 25%, citing executive engagement/communications & leadership presence as primary improvement drivers.  
•	Initiated IT development and implementation for migrating all reporting and Top Deal management from static PDF files to dynamic “real-time” Sales Force Updates. Seller Autonomous Reporting.  
•	Implemented shared services mission moving repetitive low-value tasks to Costa Rica & Manilla, freeing local teams to focus on higher-value engagement tasks. A first of a kind across AWS.
•	Building out a redesign of sales enablement support, moving all proposal creation out of sales into a dedicated group of proposal experts. NPS scores rose 45% in year 1 of implementation.

Managing Director - World Wide Commercial Sales and Operations

Leading the IBM ecosystem team in all aspects of Transformation & Operations
- Tooling deliverables, priorities, & budgeting 
- Day to day execution on Expense, Revenue and Sales Execution 
- Partner & Client experience teams including NPS (Net Promoter Score Program)
- Design and implementation of channel incentives programs across all IBM brands
- Design and execution of IBM partner programs across all partner types

Vice President - Ecosystem Transformation and Channel Mgmt

In this role, I led global P&L Sales Execution with $12+B in revenue in 2018 across seven regions. I built strategies across all global COO teams and guided up to 275 individuals. With a focus on client satisfaction, I started a global client engagement team to monitor KPIs and generate improvements. My efforts across numerous change initiatives sparked enhanced efficiency, productivity, and cost savings. 

Some of my key contributions are as follows:

■Boosted client/partner satisfaction and  launched new Global Net Promoter Score (NPS) process using Medallia in under six months, later rolled out across IBM. 
■Maximized returns by leading IT initiatives including migration to cloud, supporting new partner types, as well as implementing agile development incremental function monthly instead of yearly.
■Transitioned entire organization on to a trusted, single-source platform by revamping all channel dashboards into single Cognos 11 high-performance dashboard.
■Cultivated top-performing team by motivating and gaining the trust of staff and creating a collaborative atmosphere, resulting in a 31% increase in employee engagement.
 ■Leveraged Channel eminence to drive transformation to a new, profitable, and growing channel ecosys

 Channel Chief Operations Officer (COO)

Here, I led global operations with $11.8B in revenue in 2017 and five consecutive quarters of channel revenue growth while reducing expenses. I developed the strategy and directed all operations, as well as led business transformations across 15,000 global partners and 2700 IBM employees. I also measured client and partner satisfaction to uncover areas for improvement, drove new CRM tool design and adoption across IBM channel landscape and shifted technology from on-prem delivery to “As a Service Design” model.

Some of my key contributions are as follows:

■Grew annual efficiency gains by 15% by implementing Agile transformation methodology and management system to direct process improvements for the channel organization. 
■Championed global sales operations, by using analytics to cut sales team cadence while improving pipeline accuracy, predictability, and business results

Vice President – Global Business Partner COO & Partner Experience Executive        

During this time, I drove the turnaround of the channel business, generating sustainable profit growth and managing a $48M annual transformational budget. I represented IBM on the channel transformation journey and implemented push notifications through social media platforms to update and engage partners. 

Some of my key contributions are as follows:

■Applied knowledge of analytics and big data to develop integrated operations solutions for business partners, helping them attain a competitive advantage.
■Garnered sustainable growth and increased revenue for both IBM and partners by pinpointing growth opportunities and advancement initiatives.
■Grew profit contribution 340% on a base of $62M by delivering First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) modeling methodology to quantify and prioritize revenue-producing investment initiatives. 
■Improved business partner diagnostics survey results by 3% in two years by leading global team of 20 individuals to communicate and roll out channel transformation.

Vice President Business Partner Enterprise Transformation, Sales Operations, & Strategy

■Responsible for the Integrated Supply Chain supporting the fulfillment of IBM System Hardware
   > All X86 Run rate mfg & High end Complex fulfillment Operations
■Managed supply chain execution for multiple hardware platforms
   > Product & Material planning, parts inventory, Customer demand requirements
■ Led team responsible for authorized assembler program which positioned supply closer to end user
■ Managed through multiple outsourcing transitions & and site consolidations
   > Transformed supply chain from multi site internal mfg to single sourced OEM sourced
   
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IBM Director: Global Supply Chain Management & Manufacturing Operations Z, P, & System X. (Hardware)

•	North America Plant Manufacturing Manager for all IBM PC’s & System x86 IBM Servers
     >	Led manufacturing plant transition from Mexico to China for sole sourcing product 
     > Led manufacturing conversion from IBM to OEM plant    
•	Global Procurement functional level Manager for all IBM Microprocessor & Memory Supply

North America Plant Manufacturing Mgr & Supply Chain Operations

As a charismatic, decisive, and results-driven Global COO and CRO with 25+ years of experience, I pride myself on successfully leveraging a growth mindset to lead all sales and enterprise operations. I have built and led global organizations that deliver quantifiable business results regardless of the size or maturity of the business. My current passion is training organizations on the potential of GenAI to provide scalable solutions to address current business opportunities. 

I have implemented long-standing solutions across organizations while breaking down silos to provide measurable outcomes. I thrive working in unstructured and fast-paced business conditions by providing business clarity without bureaucracy.  An expert at leveraging all routes to market by creating cohesive business plans that motivate sellers and business partners while delivering desired business outcomes.
At this career stage, I also enjoy the opportunity to coach and mentor the next generation of senior leaders. I aim to build leadership teams that create high employee satisfaction and engagement within their organizations. I have a long track record of building inclusive work environments that drive increased productivity and retention.  
 
Specialties include P & L Ownership, Agile Transformation, CRM design and adoption (Salesforce & Sugar),  Global Sales Planning & Execution, Organization design, Net Promoter Score, Client Experience, Operational Expertise, IT tooling design and implementation, Supply Chain and Manufacturing Leadership, Executive coaching & mentoring, Management System Design & Implementation.

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Vince Menzione

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