Quick Look

  • Unified communications provider Mitel announced on Tuesday that it has appointed Ben Macdonald as Vice President of Global Channel Marketing, responsible for leading partner operations. Macdonald is a channel veteran who previously served as Vice President of Global Sales and Channels at UC vendor Owl Labs.
  • Macdonald will oversee Mitel's expanding partner network, which has more than 6,000 partners and was restructured earlier this year in preparation for a major UC sales cycle. Mitel told Channel Dive that channel distribution and sales leader Steve Loebrich will continue as head of the Americas channel, and former partner program leader Steffen Kruger will also remain in the channel division.
  • "The unified communications market is entering a major refresh cycle, creating new opportunities for partners to guide customers through complex technology decisions," Macdonald said in an email. "By unifying channel strategy, partner programs, and operational execution under a single leadership model, we are strengthening our ability to support partners globally in capturing the next wave of transformation."

Deep Dive

Macdonald's appointment comes as Mitel navigates the aftermath of significant upheaval.

The company emerged from bankruptcy in June of last year following a financial restructuring, appointed a new board of directors, and hired CEO Mike Robinson. The partner program restructuring took place in February, tied to a repositioning of its hybrid communications strategy that hinges on customers replacing outdated hardware.

Research commissioned by Mitel shows that more than two-thirds of enterprises have been using their current communications systems for at least seven years. Most are moving toward hybrid cloud architectures.

To meet customer demand, Mitel realigned its product portfolio to integrate on-premises infrastructure for critical communications with the scalability of the public cloud, Loebrich told Channel Dive in February.

Mitel's new partner program includes points-based compensation and incentives tied to customer outcomes, following a broader industry trend encouraging partners to offer services beyond sales.

"The partner opportunity in business communications today is extraordinary," Macdonald said in Tuesday's announcement. "Organizations across every industry are rethinking their communications infrastructure and turning to trusted channel partners to guide the process."

The industry still faces challenges, according to analysis from Omdia, Channel Dive's sister company. In a March report, the research firm noted that communications vendor revenue declined 16% year over year in 2025 due to slowing on-premises procurement, weak cloud adoption, and geopolitical instability. Omdia expects the pace of year-over-year market declines to moderate in the coming years, but the downward trend will persist.