Derek Smith

About Derek Smith

Hi I’m DerekI’m a Channel and Partner Sales Leader with 25+ years of experience building and scaling high-performing ecosystems for world-class technology companies — including Pure Storage, Rubrik, VMware, and Dell. My career has been defined by a commitment to driving growth through partners, delivering operational excellence, and empowering teams to execute with clarity and purpose.At Pure Storage, I led a team across 11 states and all customer segments, achieving 160% of plan and $47M in bookings, while driving 20%+ annual partner revenue growth and 95% YoY expansion of the Pure-as-a-Service ecosystem. Previously at Rubrik, I built the TOLA partner network from 8 to 34 partners in 18 months — generating $30M in pipeline and leading national alliances that contributed over a quarter of Rubrik’s total partner revenue.What sets me apart is the ability to connect strategic vision with disciplined execution. I’m passionate about creating frictionless, mutually profitable partnerships where distributors, VARs, and OEMs collaborate to deliver better customer outcomes. My leadership philosophy centers on integrity, accountability, and continuous enablement — building teams that don’t just meet goals, but consistently outperform them.If you’re interested in connecting around channel transformation, GTM innovation, or partner-led growth strategies, I’d welcome the conversation.PERSONAL MISSION - Have an impact both personally and professionally that allows me to learn and grow while I’m on this planet PERSONAL VISION - Be a better husband, father and co-worker thru integrity and kindness while maintaining a positive attitude PERSONAL VALUES - Dependability, Integrity, Well-Being, Gratitude, Adaptability, Uniqueness, Personal Growth, Humility, Frugality GUIDING PRINCIPLES• Treat everyone with honesty & respect• Take responsibility for everything you do or say• Strong proponent of learning • Inspire and motivate others• Lead by example• Deliver on your commitment • Be a positive influenceSpecialties: Sales and Channel development. Public sector knowledge (Knowledge of E-rate, NASPO, TX DIR) and other Government contracting agencies for SLED, 2-Tier Distribution, Six Sigma (BPI) certifiedExpertise:AI Infrastructure & Data ProtectionSaaS & Cloud Ecosystem DevelopmentCybersecurity Partnerships & GTM StrategyChannel Enablement & Partner-Led GrowthStrategic Alliances (OEMs, MSPs, GSI, CSPs)Revenue Acceleration & Pipeline OptimizationData-Driven Sales LeadershipExecutive Partner EngagementHigh Performance Team Leadership

Experience

1. Director, Channel Sales

   Arctic Wolf

   Jan 2026 — Present · New Braunfels, TX, US

Education

• Texas State University

  B.B.A, Marketing

  1984 — 1989

Skills

• Sales Operations
• Vmware
• Leadership
• Partner Management
• New Business Development
• Demand Generation
• Account Management
• Channel Management
• Strategic Partnerships
• Negotiation
• Selling
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Channel
• Wireless Networking
• Consultative Selling
• Business Strategy
• Sales Process
• Presentations
• Business Alliances
• Cloud Computing
• Crm
• Management
• Security
• Enterprise Software
• Channel Partners
• Data Center
• Solution Selling
• Sales
• Sales Enablement
• Virtualization