Cisco SVP And Americas Channel Chief Rick Snyder Is Departing: Exclusive

Rick Snyder, senior vice president of Americas partner sales at Cisco, is retiring, CRN has learned.

Snyder, a Cisco Telepresence and channel veteran, will stay on until the end of Cisco's 2019 fiscal year in July. Cisco has not yet filled his seat and Snyder will be part of the process to find and train his successor, according to a Cisco spokesperson.

San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco said it is open to both an internal or external candidate filling Snyder role.

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"Partners are critical to our ability to scale and creating meaningful partner relationships is essential as we continue to transform our business and drive growth. We have built great momentum in our Americas Partner Organization and we appreciate all of those who have played a part in our success to date. We wish Rick all of the best and thank him for his many contributions to the team, our partners and for his leadership," a Cisco spokesperson told CRN.

Snyder is no stranger to Cisco partners. The executive is responsible for about 23,000 partners in the Americas region, which Snyder has been actively pushing to take advantage of Cisco's training and partner enablement tools aimed at helping partners get up to speed in a rapidly-changing technology landscape.

Mark Melvin, CTO for ePlus, one of Cisco's largest partners, called Snyder a "great leader" and close personal friend.

"[Snyder] was always engaging with the partners and spent a lot of time listening to our needs to match them with Cisco's needs," Melvin said.

Snyder and former Cisco channel chief Wendy Bahr, Melvin said, were a great team, and Snyder picked up the mantel after she resigned in 2018. Melvin hopes that Cisco will fill Snyder’s seat with a leader that will continue to carry the channel torch.

"Someone who will really listen to partners and continue to understand the value the partner community has brought to Cisco," he added.

Snyder has been a critical player in expanding Cisco's routes to market through the channel. The executive has helped develop and scale the company's Digital Systems Integrators (DSI) and ISV programs.

Most recently, Snyder helped Cisco's Americas Partner Organization roll out its first customer experience team, a major area of focus for Cisco since 2018 which is helping partners focus on customer Lifecyle, success and application development, the company said.

Snyder has been with Cisco since 2010 when it acquired videoconferencing provider Tandberg. Prior to his time with Cisco, Snyder served as president for Tandberg Americas for five years, as well as CEO of ReView Video, a VAR organization that was acquired by WestCon in 2007.