Mitel, a global leader in business communications, has announced the appointment of Ben Macdonald as Vice President, Global Channel Go-to-Market. The hire underscores Mitel’s commitment to growing with its partners and reflects the company’s continued investment in the channel ecosystem as organisations worldwide accelerate their shift to hybrid communications solutions.
With more than 6,000 partners globally, Mitel’s channel community is central to how the company serves customers across demanding industries – sectors where privacy, resilience and flexibility are non-negotiable. Macdonald’s appointment signals Mitel’s intent to deepen that community and build on the momentum of its recently launched enhanced Global Partner Programme.
Macdonald joins Mitel with extensive experience building and scaling partner-led go-to-market models across Unified Communications, Security, Networking and SaaS markets. A recognised CRN Channel Chief, he brings a proven track record of transforming transactional, hardware-centric businesses into recurring-revenue engines – a capability that aligns directly with Mitel’s strategy to support partners through the growing demand for integrated hybrid communications.
Most recently serving as Vice President of Global Sales and Channels at Owl Labs, Macdonald led the company’s transformation into a scalable B2B and enterprise-focused, channel-led growth model, securing wins with major global organisations through strategic alliances with Microsoft and Lenovo. His earlier career includes senior channel leadership roles at Poly, Juniper Networks and Ekahau, where he developed deep expertise in partner segmentation, MSP and service provider ecosystem development, and subscription monetisation across North America, EMEA and APAC.
In his new role, Macdonald will lead Mitel’s global channel strategy, the associated global partner programme and the operational environment, shaping how Mitel and its partners succeed together as the market enters what analysts describe as one of the largest communications refresh cycles in a decade. According to Mitel research, more than 68% of businesses have used their current communications systems for over seven years, with 92% of modernising organisations choosing an integrated-hybrid strategy, placing channel partners at the centre of a significant market opportunity.
“The partner opportunity in business communications right now is exceptional,” said Macdonald. “Organisations across every sector are rethinking their communications infrastructure and they’re turning to trusted channel partners to guide that journey. Mitel’s global partner ecosystem is a genuine competitive advantage and I’m excited to help develop it further for long-term growth.”
“Ben’s track record of building partner-led growth engines is exactly what we need as we enter this next phase,” said Eric Hanson, Chief Marketing Officer, Mitel. “Our partners are trusted advisors to organisations that cannot afford disruption in critical industries like healthcare, finance, public sector and beyond. Strengthening our global channel leadership means we can better support those partners in delivering the outcomes their customers depend on.”
