WekaIO (WEKA), the AI-native data platform company, announced that Jeff Echols has been named a 2024 CRN® Channel Chief by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company. The venerable annual award recognizes top IT vendors and distribution executives driving channel strategy for their companies. The accolade follows WEKA’s recent recognition on the 2024 CRN Cloud 100 list as one of the 20 Coolest Cloud Software Companies for its commitment to bringing its WEKA® Data Platform software to market exclusively through the channel.
Echols joined WEKA in 2022, where he serves as the company’s vice president of channel and strategic partnerships, with responsibility for the company’s global strategic and channel partnerships. Echols brings over two decades of enterprise software experience building top-performing teams to foster strategic relationships and joint partner success.
Supporting WEKA’s commitment to channel-first, partner-led business, Echols spearheaded the 2023 launch of the company’s global partner program, WEKA X, which empowers channel partners with a comprehensive toolkit of training, certifications, exclusive pricing, and incentives to streamline deal registration and optimize their profitability.
“WEKA is building a world-class channel partner ecosystem, and it’s an honor to be working hand-in-hand with them to help our customers stay at the forefront of AI innovation,” Echols said. “Through our partners, WEKA is committed to bringing exciting innovations to market in the coming months that give customers unparalleled choice and flexibility in how and where they manage their data, together with the speed, scale, simplicity, and sustainability that WEKA is known for.”
“Hearty congratulations are in order to Jeff Echols on being named a 2024 CRN Channel Chief. His dedication to the success of WEKA’s global partner ecosystem has been key in our ability to scale to meet increased customer demand for the WEKA Data Platform as enterprise AI adoption goes mainstream,” said Jonathan Martin, president at WEKA. “An unprecedented wave of opportunity is forming at the intersection of cloud and AI. WEKA’s AI-native data platform software delivers the future-proof solution the channel needs to capitalize on that opportunity – and help their customers thrive in the AI era.”
CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs list will be featured in the February 2024 issue of CRN® Magazine. To view the full list online, visit www.CRN.com/ChannelChiefs.