March  2010
Channel Insider

HTG Peer Groups is extending its peer-to-peer business development and leadership facilitation mission by creating a new forum for chief executives and business leaders of solution provider organizations called CEO Forum.

CEO Forum, which will hold its second meeting in June in Denver, will provide senior leaders of IT resellers, solution providers and services organizations with guidance on business leadership and management skills through the experience of seasoned executives in the IT industry and other successful business executives.

Arlin Sorensen, founder of HTG Peer Groups, says the CEO Forum was born out of a perceived need among veteran solution providers to provide up and coming leaders with skills for growing vibrant businesses.

“There’s a whole generation that’s been leading the industry that’s going to exit in the near future, and I see leadership gap,” Sorensen says.

The type of skills CEO Forum will foster among its participants include an understanding of key performance indicators and metrics, organizational structuring and management, business development strategies, and personal development strategies.

“I see some in the industry changing things, and I don’t think a lot of VARs see the tsunamis coming their way and they’re not heading for higher ground,” Sorensen says.

CEO Forum is an extension of the HTG Peer Group model, which helps participating solution providers develop their skills and business through regularly meeting groups of noncompetitive peers. The groups share experiences and data to foster a sense of camaraderie. Peer group members often assist one another in market development and building domain expert practices.

The CEO Forum will differ in that it's reserved for company leaders and will draw upon the experiences of successful business leaders, Sorensen says.

HTG Peer Group’s CEO Forum is the latest entry in executive-level peer collaboration and education. Last summer, CompTIA and Channel Insider formed the Channel Vanguard Council, a group of senior VAR and vendor executives who collaborate to develop best practices and metrics for maturing channel practices. The Solutions First Council, a project initiated by Vertical Systems Reseller Magazine, has a similar mission and makeup among solution providers in the computing mobility and data capture segment of the channel.

Source: http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Spotlight/HTG-Peer-Groups-Form-CEO-Forum-557243/