Craig Cieplinski

About Craig Cieplinski

Would you believe me if I told you that managing half of Cisco\'s U.S. distribution landscape is a lot like coaching hockey? It\'s true, and here\'s why: Coaching is about building relationships, teaching, investing in people, and ultimately putting them in a position to succeed. This is exactly what I do as I lead my team in U.S. Distribution. We work with Cisco\'s partners and distributors to design, develop, and execute go-to-market (GTM) plans that will work for their customers. We put them in a position to succeed. I love this job because it\'s so dynamic — the technology changes constantly, and new technologies require new routes to market. Cisco\'s transition to software-based solutions completely transformed our GTM approach. The unmatched flexibility, features, and customizations available to each customer require us to understand their needs from the outset. My team works closely with Cisco partners to make sure they understand how Cisco products can deliver the best business outcomes for their customers. My favorite part of the job is seeing the proof of concept play out. Year after year, I see our partners and distributors succeed, and they come back to me with the same questions: What does Cisco have for us next? What else can we get to market?

Experience

1. Director, East Area Partner Leader

   Juniper Networks

   Jun 2025 — Present · Buffalo, NY, US

   Responsible for the development and execution of Juniper\'s regional partner strategy in alignment with the East Area Sales Organization. Lead, develop, and empower a high-performing team of Partner Account Managers (PAMs) to execute the strategy, drive partner engagement, and expand Juniper’s presence across the region.

Education

• Babson College

  Bachelor of Science, Finance, Investments, and Economics

  1988 — 1992

• Nichols School

  High School Diploma

  1986 — 1988

Skills

• Business Development
• Channel
• Strategy
• Managed Services
• Management
• Program Management
• Sales
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Unified Communications
• Marketing
• Cloud Computing
• Enterprise Software
• Channel Sales
• Sales Management
• Networking
• Telepresence
• Demand Generation
• Account Management
• Channel Partners
• Data Center
• Cisco Technologies
• Strategic Partnerships
• Resellers
• Sales Enablement
• Direct Sales
• Solution Selling