Autodesk’s Ken Bado and Steve Blum named CRN Channel Chiefs for 2010

SAN RAFAEL, Calif - Autodesk, Inc has announced that two Autodesk executives have been named CRN Channel Chiefs for 2010: Ken Bado, executive vice president of Sales and Services, and Steve Blum, senior vice president, Americas Sales. CRN, the flagship publication of CMP Channel, selected the Autodesk executives because of their investment in partner success and innovative channel partner programs.

Channel partners are the primary conduit for delivering Autodesk's 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software to customers across multiple industries, including architecture, engineering and construction; manufacturing; automotive; utilities; telecommunications and government; and gaming, TV and film. This year, Bado and Blum have continued to expand and nurture Autodesk channel partner programs, which have grown to encompass 1,900 partners across the globe.

“Autodesk has been committed to the channel since the beginning -- it’s part of our DNA,” said Bado. “For 27 years we’ve been working closely with our partners to ensure they always have the best training and resources possible. This helps to ensure they will survive the bad times and position themselves to thrive when the economy turns around.”

Responding to the needs of resellers during the difficult economic environment of 2009, Bado sponsored key partner initiatives aimed at preserving partner health. In particular, finance and margin protection programs were expanded, price lists and authorization schedules were simplified and virtual sales training programs and incentive payouts were accelerated.

“We were laser focused on partner health this past year, and we worked very closely with our partners to ensure that they maintained their selling and services capabilities during the economic crisis,” said Blum. “We achieved these goals as we did not lose any of our partners, and none of them went out of business.”

Recognizing the impact of today's economic challenges, Blum helped launch the Autodesk Assistance Program in 2009. The Autodesk Assistance Program provides job-seeking architects and engineers with design software tools, education and resources that help enhance, maintain and develop their 3D design technology skills and remain competitive in the marketplace.

This is the eighth consecutive year CRN has developed the Channel Chief list. Top Channel Chiefs were chosen based on policy and program innovations made during 2009, the amount of revenue generated through partners, their willingness to speak out publicly on behalf of the channel, and the number of years they have dedicated to channel activities.

2010 is the third consecutive year that Autodesk executives have been selected as Channel Chiefs.