At ASM, we are extremely proud of our workforce and are committed to developing skills and experiences across the team. Investing in our people is a vital part of the culture at ASM and lends itself to our core values as our people are our greatest asset and make all the difference. Our team is made up of driven individuals who are constantly contributing and adding to the wider team. Our dedication and determination mean that we can best serve our clients and generate real long-term value and benefits.

We are exceptionally proud of Leanne Ogden, Head of Business Development for being shortlisted as a finalist for CRN’s Women in Channel awards Outstanding Returner category. For this category, the judges were looking for someone who has been inspirational in returning successfully to a career. In this blog, we allow our readers to get to know the woman behind the nomination and gain an understanding of Leanne’s personal and professional journey so far.

Tell us about your role at ASM?

As Head of Business Development, I am responsible for managing the growth and development of our reseller account base and the external team. We pride ourselves on building and maintaining strong relationships with our key clients, helping our customers to explore the latest emerging technologies within the market to save our customers money and disrupt the status quo. As a team we look at innovative ways to add value to our existing clients using our extensive partner network to offer new opportunities. A typical week (pre Covid) for myself and the team involved four days a week on client sites. I think I speak for all the team when I say that we each thrive off the variety the role brings and the need to be ready, think on your feet and to expect the unexpected.

What led you to this career?

My mum. She is truly the inspiration for pretty much everything that I have achieved. Without her I am not sure what I would have chosen as a career. It’s true to say that I never really had any burning desire to work in the channel, in the beginning I just needed a job, and to quote my mum at the time “a proper job”. When I was offered my first job in IT, initially I declined it as I was scared. Scared that I couldn’t do it, scared of the unknown, scared that as a 21-year-old girl, I wouldn’t succeed. It was at this point that my mum stepped in with her words of wisdom and gave me the encouragement I needed and assured me that I could do it and would be successful. Fast forward 16 years and I absolutely love working in the channel – no two days are ever the same and I thrive in a fast-paced environment and working with ever evolving technologies. I only hope that one day I can be just as good an inspiration to my daughter.

Tell us about an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I have worked on several of ASMs key accounts, but my biggest achievement to date must be taking one of those accounts from a relatively small spend with ASM to now being our largest customer, transacting across multiple countries. Whilst this took around 12 – 18 months to achieve I loved every minute of it. There were lots of early mornings, late nights and overnight stays but there is no better feeling than living and breathing the success as it happens over time.

What personality trait do you most credit your success to and why?

I am a very organised person and believe that my approach to life and work have helped me to build a successful career. Whilst trying to juggle a busy work and home life, organisation is critical. In my role, I often have multiple deadlines to meet whilst supervising the team and managing my own account base so being organised enables me to work through my never ending to do list.

Good luck to Leanne as a finalist for the Outstanding Returner award at the CRN Women in Channel awards – we have full faith in you and look forward to watching you continue to grow in what will be an exciting future at ASM.