Background
I am a channel-focused revenue executive with nearly two decades of experience building, scaling, and leading high-performing partner ecosystems across SaaS, cybersecurity, hardware, and data protection. Over the course of my career, I’ve held progressive leadership roles spanning Channel Sales, Channel Marketing, Alliances, and Partner GTM Strategy; leading global teams, designing partner programs, and driving sustained year-over-year growth for organizations ranging from high-growth startups to multi-billion-dollar enterprises.
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My experience includes leadership of large-scale channel organizations with responsibility for multimillion-dollar ARR portfolios, the development and launch of global partner programs, and directing to-partner and through-partner marketing strategies across thousands of MSPs, VARs, distributors, ISVs, and technology alliances. I’ve served as the public face of channel organizations at industry events, boardrooms, and executive forums, while guiding teams of sellers, managers, and marketers to exceed pipeline, revenue, and partner engagement goals.
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What has distinguished my work over the years is my ability to blend data-driven execution with people-centric leadership. I’ve built and coached diverse teams, transformed underdeveloped channel motions into scalable revenue engines, and helped hundreds of vendors refine or reinvent their partner-led go-to-market strategies. Whether working with global distributors, cybersecurity vendors, SaaS companies, or emerging technology startups, my focus has always been the same: create clarity, build repeatable systems, and empower teams to perform at their highest level.
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I’m driven by a genuine passion for developing others and by the impact that well-executed channel ecosystems can have on a company’s trajectory. Helping teams achieve more than they believed possible, and backing it with operational rigor, thoughtful process, and actionable data, has been the cornerstone of my career and the lens through which I approach every new challenge.
Justin Gilbert
Senior Channel Sales & Marketing Leader
850-221-3050
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EXPERIENCE
Experience
OCT 2024 - PRESENT
Object First
Head of Channel Sales
At Object First, I lead North American Channel Sales across the U.S. and Canada, overseeing a channel organization spanning distribution, corporate resellers, emerging partners, focus partners, and the Canadian field team. I was brought in to build the channel engine from the ground up; designing partner programs, GTM structure, onboarding frameworks, deal registration policies, enablement paths, and the company’s comprehensive Channel Sales Handbook.
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Under my leadership, the channel delivered substantial year-over-year performance gains, including an increase in pipeline from $35.7M to $54.7M, bookings growth from $9.6M to $19.3M, and a rise in channel-sourced contribution from 70% to 85%. My team executed 317 field events, 852 account mappings, and 1,350 deal registrations in a single year while enabling thousands of partner sellers and engineers through the launch of formal certification programs. I also expanded reseller and distributor relationships, strengthened partner engagement, and scaled high-performing inside and field teams across both regions.
JUL 2023 - OCT 2024
Channel Program
Vice President, Channel Sales
At Channel Program, I led, scaled, and coached two independent sales teams in a high-growth startup environment—one supporting emerging and midsize technology vendors, and the other enabling MSPs to manage and optimize their vendor ecosystems. I built the operating structure, processes, and performance frameworks for both teams while helping more than 200 SMB and mid-market vendors develop or refine their partner-led GTM strategies, channel programs, onboarding motions, and demand generation campaigns.
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I also launched the company’s first MSP-focused offering, MYITSpend, which added 200 net-new MSPs in the first six months and established an entirely new market category for the business. During my tenure, outbound productivity increased 250%, pipeline expanded 7x, and the team exceeded its ARR targets. I played a central role in scaling processes, supporting vendor go-to-market success, strengthening marketplace and TSD relationships, and maturing Channel Program’s overall ecosystem strategy.
JUN 2019 - JUL 2023
OpenText Cybersecurity
Senior Director, MSP Channels
As Senior Director of MSP Channels at OpenText, I was responsible for the full North American MSP channel strategy, overseeing go-to-market execution, partner recruitment, enablement, and cross-sell motions across thousands of service providers. I led a management team of five, with more than 40 indirect reports, driving alignment between MSP channel activities and broader OpenText sales and product initiatives. My team executed the company’s MSP strategy through direct MSP engagement as well as through key RMM and ecosystem partnerships.
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I played a key role in shaping and advancing the Managed Services strategy, identifying opportunities to expand or enhance the portfolio and improve partner-led revenue performance. During my tenure, we strengthened executive relationships across the MSP ecosystem, accelerated partner-driven growth, increased market share, and contributed to the significant ARR, revenue, and EBITDA expansion achieved by the Zix | AppRiver brands within OpenText’s Security and Productivity portfolio.
Senior Director, Channel Marketing
As Senior Director of Channel Marketing at OpenText, I was responsible for building and leading a new global channel marketing organization with a renewed focus on the MSP, VAR, DMR, distributor, and ISV ecosystems. I directed all to- and through-partner marketing strategy across North America and EMEA while overseeing a team of Channel Marketing Managers and Associates, along with a $2M annual budget.
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One of my signature achievements was leading the design and launch of the company’s first unified Global Partner Program; integrating the Zix and AppRiver ecosystems with North American and international partner models, harmonizing benefits, tiering, incentives, and enablement across more than 7,000 partners. Working closely with channel sales, product, and corporate marketing, I strengthened partner engagement, increased demand generation effectiveness, and elevated the company’s channel-first motion. I also helped establish AppRiver’s first MSP recruitment engine, hiring and developing BDRs, channel recruiters, and onboarding engineers to accelerate MSP acquisition and onboarding.
JAN 2007 - JUN 2019
North American Sales Director
AppRiver
As North American Channel Sales Director at AppRiver, I was promoted to lead regional growth across the U.S. and Canada through strategic, midsize, and SMB-focused partnerships. I managed a 33-person organization with four direct-report managers, overseeing partner acquisition, enablement, and revenue performance across MSPs, VARs, resellers, and distribution partners.
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During my tenure, I scaled the partner ecosystem from 2,200 to more than 5,000 partners, significantly expanding AppRiver’s market reach. I also drove revenue growth from 8% to 20% year-over-year by strengthening partner engagement, optimizing regional GTM execution, and helping teams develop repeatable selling and co-selling motions.
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I played a key role in launching and scaling AppRiver’s Canadian partner program while deepening relationships with key U.S. partners across multiple routes to market. My leadership focused on developing strong managers, elevating team performance, and creating consistent, predictable growth across all partner segments.
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U.S. Channel Sales Manager
As a Channel Sales Manager, I operated at a senior leadership level with director-level responsibilities, including hiring, training, and developing frontline managers while supporting executive leadership during acquisitions and due diligence. I helped strengthen regional partner performance, improve sales execution, and establish operational consistency across teams, contributing to the sustained growth that led to my promotion into North American leadership.
N.E. Channel Account Manager
As a Channel Account Manager, I consistently exceeded outbound activity targets, revenue goals, and conversion metrics while supporting a diverse portfolio of MSP, VAR, and reseller partners. My performance in this role led to expanded responsibilities and positioned me for leadership advancement within AppRiver.
RESULTS & AWARDS
Led the Object First North American Channel organization from fledgling channel org to a fully operational, high-output channel engine: pipeline rose from $35.7 M to $54.7 M, bookings nearly doubled, and channel-sourced contribution jumped from 70% to 85%.
Recognized by CRN among top channel executives for building an inclusive, high-performing culture that fosters diversity, equity, and opportunity across channel teams and partner ecosystems.
Launched Channel Program's first MSP-focused offering, driving 200+ net-new MSPs in six months; the program created a new revenue stream, expanded market reach, and established the foundation for managed services growth.
As North American Channel Director at AppRiver responsible for $97 Million in Revenue my teams scaled from 8% to 20% year over year growth in revenue and from 2,200 partners to 5,000 partners.
Part of a core group of leaders who helped Zix | AppRiver achieve an ARR Growth of 382% from $57M to $275M, Revenue growth of 364% from $55M to $255M, and EBITDA growth of 404% from $11M to $55M
Built and launched a Global Channel Partner Program to promote revenue growth to 7,000 ISV, MSP, Agent and VAR partners across the globe while building benefits that would differentiate our brand from competitors.
Won CRN's Channel Chief award 4 times from 2016 to 2020. The award is based on professional achievements, standing in the industry, dedication to the channel partner community and strategies for driving future growth and innovation
In 2023 awarded top 50 Most influential Channel Chief by CRN for 2022. Top 50 Channel Chief's are an elite group drawn from the larger pool of Channel Chief honorees each year that represent the cream of the IT channel crop—leaders who drive the channel agenda and evangelize the importance of channel partnerships.
Honored with the 5 Star Global Partner Program Award that my team built in 2021. The 5-Star rating is awarded to an exclusive group of companies that offer solution providers the best of the best, going above and beyond in their partner programs.
SKILLS
Channel Sales Leadership
Partner Program Development
Distribution & Reseller Management
Sales & Marketing Automation
Partner Enablement & Certification
Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy
Ecosystem & Partnership Development
Revenue Growth & Pipeline Acceleration
Team Leadership & Organizational Scaling
Strategic Planning & Cross Team Alignment
COMMUNITY & EDUCATION
2021-Present
CompTIA
Advisory Council Member - SaaS Ecosystem
The council is dedicated to exploring the benefits and opportunities created through SaaS, applications and cloud solutions. We also collaborate with CompTIA’s other industry advisory councils to further enable opportunities and partnerships around the IT channel, drones, blockchain and internet of things. Our goals include:
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Exploring new routes to market and developing use cases that accelerate success.
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Studying innovative methods to create, deliver and support business applications.
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Fostering greater adoption and expansion of emerging technologies.
2020-Present
Board Member
Florida's Great Northwest
Florida’s Great Northwest Board Members are the movers and shakers of our region and are committed to building a diverse and vibrant economy. We represent regional businesses, utility partners, economic development organizations, higher education institutions, and workforce boards. Because of our support, businesses and residents have a wealth of opportunities to flourish and grow in the Florida Panhandle.
2008-2010
University of Phoenix
Bachelor of Science, Information Technology
The BS in IT - Multimedia and Visual Communication program at University of Phoenix is designed to provide a broad education in core technologies along with specific program coursework in multimedia development and design. Concentration courses focus on image editing, electronic publishing, Web programming, interactive media, and methods in instructional design. Students are also provided the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in areas such as computer networking, telecommunications, technical writing, programming, and information systems.
2002-2004
Pensacola State College
Associate of Science, Business Administration
This program is designed to provide a foundation in business and to prepare students to seek employment in various business fields. The program has a statewide articulation from the associate in science to a baccalaureate degree in Business Administration and Management or Business.
Publications
Below are recent publications where you can find interviews I've provided to channel media outlets, articles that have quoted me, and mentions of my speaking engagements. If you'd like to see more hop over to my LinkedIn and under each role in my list of experiences you'll find a detailed list.
REFERENCES
Jeff Malone - Vice President of Sales
The technology industry is still a relatively young and dynamic business with many startup organizations transitioning to the next level. There are always core individuals that play a vital role in the development of the company to make the successful transition. Justin, as an individual contributor and later in sales management, took calculated risks that resulted in positive business outcomes 100% of the time. Justin is a builder of sales teams, brand name recognition, and the company itself. I always felt we had the best chance to win business with Justin involved in the strategy and management of the opportunities. Justin always made his sales objectives regardless of market conditions and would be an asset to any organization looking to grow their business.
Jim McClellan - Vice President of Marketing
The story of AppRiver's growth and success isn't complete without at least one full chapter devoted to Justin Gilbert. Justin is the complete sales-leadership package. He has a strong affinity for the technology AppRiver sells, including the nuances that help partners understand how it solves their customers' problems. But, more than that, he has made himself and expert on the the marketing that drives the sales, the business systems that manage the process, the product positioning, and the follow-on care that keeps existing customers in the fold. What's really unique is that he's able to motivate his team to follow his lead and hit goal after goal after goal. It never mattered what title he held in our organization, he is, was, and will always be a channel chief.
Rachel Ley - DevOps & Product Leader
Justin is one of the most driven, motivating professionals you will meet. He can drive a team to work harder than they thought possible - all while keeping morale at an all-time high. I trusted him, wholeheartedly, with my career and he helped me succeed much quicker than what I had planned. Not only that, but his ability to learn and sell a product is unmatched. He knew how each partner was selling and supporting our products, giving him the ability to deal with any given situation. He is a natural leader and it was an absolute honor to have worked for him!
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
Long Distance Cycling
Off Shore Fishing
Woodworking