Beyond Distribution with GTDC

Creating a Bridge Between Possibility and Reality: A Conversation with the Redington Group’s V.S. Hariharan

Unlocking growth, access, efficiency and trust for the vendor and provider community should be part of the distribution journey, suggests V.S. Hariharan, Managing Director and Group CEO of the Redington Group. As an IT leader in APJ and META, he believes distributors must provide value beyond boxes, logistics and credit, and provide lot of other things in today’s business environment. Hariharan shares his thoughts on those topics and more with host Frank Vitagliano in episode 61 of Beyond Distribution with GTDC.  
What role will distributors play in the deployment of AI technologies? Which technologies are gaining traction in META and APJ? How are currency fluctuations, inflation and high interest rates impacting these regions?  
This episode of Beyond Distribution with GTDC covers those topics, explores some of the strongest technology growth opportunities and points out significant gains in the push for greater sustainability.   

Scaling AI Models from Pilot to Production: A Conversation with Dataiku’s David Tharp

Despite significant advances, AI adoption is still in its infancy, and collaboration between systems integrators, VARs, vendors and distributors will play a vital role in advancing these revolutionary solutions. David Tharp, SVP of Ecosystems and Alliances for Dataiku shares his thoughts on this timely topic while highlighting channel opportunities for these technologies with host Frank Vitagliano in episode 62 of Beyond Distribution with GTDC.  
  
What will distributors orchestrate and help deploy AI technologies? How critical is collaboration between companies like Dataiku, vendors and major system integrators like Accenture and Deloitte? As the AI market evolves rapidly, how will IT and business professionals learn and adapt to get the most from these solutions? 
 
Get the answers to those questions and more in this episode of Beyond Distribution with GTDC. For more discussions on AI and other innovations, check out the latest articles, research and resources on the GTDC Knowledge Hub.   

Unexpected Resilience in the Global Economic Landscape: A Discussion with EIU’s Alex Holmes

Despite pessimism across worldwide financial community and underlying job and consumer confidence concerns, technology investments remain strong, suggests Alex Holmes, Regional Director of Asia Pacific for Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). He also offers his insight on the business environment and technology industry in APJ with host Frank Vitagliano in episode 63 of Beyond Distribution with GTDC.  
  Could a temporary surge in Asian exports with companies front-loading orders to avoid tariffs be influencing the strong numbers?  What place does humility have in economic forecasting? How have export-oriented nations benefited from increased demand and how will tariffs affect their economies in the future?  
Holmes addresses those questions and discusses inflation’s impact on Asia Pacific with Frank in this episode of Beyond Distribution with GTDC. For more information on global market trends, check out the latest articles, research and resources on the GTDC Knowledge Hub.   
      

The Future of IT Sustainability and Product Design: A Conversation with Lenovo’s Virginie Le Barbu

Sustainability is more than a global initiative or industry talking point; it has become an important business strategy that is driving thought leadership across the IT industry, according to Virginie Le Barbu, Global Sustainability Director, International Markets for Lenovo. In episode 64 of Beyond Distribution with GTDC, she shares her experiences and insight on this critical topic with host Frank Vitagliano and special guest co-host GTDC Sustainability Project Leader Dominique Deklerck. 
Their conversation covered Lenovo’s new sustainability initiatives, the role of AI in driving innovation in the circular economy and collaboration opportunities across the channel. Le Barbu also shares the challenges and future of eco-friendly product design. 
How can the community accelerate sustainability transformation across the channel? What challenges and opportunities do channel companies face balancing AI innovation with responsible energy use? Le Barbu, Vitagliano and Deklerck address those questions and discuss inflation’s impact on Asia Pacific in this episode of Beyond Distribution with GTDC. For more information on global market trends, check out the latest articles, research and resources on the GTDC Knowledge Hub.   
      

View From the Top: APJ Distribution Executives Discuss the IT Ecosystem of the Future

Home to three of the top five global economies, the APJ region represents a massive consumer and business base and a diverse portfolio of economies. That situation creates a resilient environment for the IT industry, which was a central theme of the distribution executive panel discussion during the GTDC Summit APJ in Singapore. Moderated by GTDC CEO Frank Vitagliano, the group shared their insight on technology trends and market consolidation and looked to the future of distribution. 
What impact will AI have on the APJ business community and IT industry? How are digital platforms and hyperscalers affecting the channel? Check out episode #65 of Beyond Distribution with GTDC for answers to those questions and for more high-level insight from panelists:    
Jaideep Malhotra, President, Asia Pacific & Japan, TD SYNNEX 
Luis Lourenco, SVP & Chief Executive ASEAN & Hong Kong, Ingram Micro 
V.S. Hariharan, Managing Director and Group CEO, Redington Limited 
Patrick Aaronson, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of APAC, Westcon.    
 If you missed this year’s event, consider attending GTDC Summit North America 2026, February 18-19 at the Seabird Resort in Oceanside, California!

Maximizing Channel Impact: A Conversation with Jen Waltz from Imajenative

In episode 66 of Beyond Distribution with GTDC, Jen Waltz, CEO & CISO of Imajenative joins host Frank Vitagliano and GTDC SVP of Operations Kavita May for a wide‑ranging conversation on channel orchestration, partner enablement, and leadership. Waltz emphasizes the increasing importance of strong cybersecurity disciplines today as the business community sits at the intersection of digital transformation, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. (
The group also discuss the value of taking purpose‑driven approach when building channel programs: empowering vendors, distributors and partners to win in today’s complex, compliance‑heavy landscape. Orchestration, strategic alignment, and regulatory support spanning frameworks like NIST, CMMC, and Zero Trust are essential to success in the IT industry today.
What type of leadership is needed to ensure more positive outcomes? How can mentoring women and other underrepresented members of the IT community drive better corporate performance? Check out this engaging episode for those answers (and more).
Engage with like-minded channel executives and learn about the latest IT ecosystem trend. Register today to attend GTDC Summit North America 2026, February 18-19 at the Seabird Resort in Oceanside, California!  

The Tailwind of Technology Drives Economic Growth: An Informative Discussion with EIU’s Constance Hunter

Technology—especially AI—is seen as a major force supporting global growth and driving productivity gains across all business sectors, including healthcare and biotech, suggests Constance Hunter, Chief Analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). In episode 67 of Beyond Distribution with GTDC, the esteemed economist joins host Frank Vitagliano for a comprehensive discussion on the current state of the U.S. and global economies and factors that could affect conditions in the future.  
Hunter explains how trade liberalization is progressing in many regions in response to U.S. tariff policies and also describes how policy shifts are influencing inflation, demand and business pricing decisions. What are the broader effects of geopolitical conflicts? How could energy market constraints and environmental and governance factors impact long-term economic stability? 
Hunter and Vitagliano address those questions and discuss other economic-related topics in this episode of Beyond Distribution with GTDC. For more information on global market trends, check out the latest articles, research and resources on the GTDC Knowledge Hub.   

Orchestrating the Agentic Future: A Conversation with IDC’s Sandra Ng

In episode 68 of Beyond Distribution with GTDC, Sandra Ng—IDC’s Senior Vice President of Research based in Singapore—joins host Frank Vitagliano to map the 2026 priorities reshaping enterprise technology and the IT channel. She explains why composite AI is moving from concept to necessity, with organizations blending generative, predictive, prescriptive and agentic approaches to deliver explainable, reliable business outcomes.   
Ng highlights the rise of “agent economics” and the human–AI matrix, which urges leaders to rethink value, productivity and accountability frameworks as autonomous agents take on more tasks. She mentions big barriers like governance, culture, and talent that could slow adoption in APJ and other fast-growing technology regions, and stresses urgency in developing applied (not just technical) skills.   
How will AI accelerate cloud modernization? What could implementation of these technologies mean to data residency, latency and resilience requirements? This episode provides answers to those questions and covers other topics of great relevance to the APJ technology community.