Show Notes
Few leaders in the industry understand ecosystem transformation like Gretchen O’Hara, the longtime Microsoft executive, former Splunk channel leader, and now Executive Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Business Development at Sage. In this episode, Gretchen shares her early impressions of Sage, why she joined, and how she sees AI reshaping partner opportunity across the world. This conversation offers an inside look at the major announcements coming out of Sage Future for Partners in Barcelona - including Sage’s new Finance Intelligence Agent, next generation Sage X3 Cloud, and Sage AI Developer Solutions built with AWS Bedrock. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Why Gretchen Joined Sage Gretchen has spent her career building partner ecosystems at massive scale. Yet she says Sage had something unique - a deep, community-driven network of partners rooted in finance, accounting, and operational systems. One quote from the transcript captured her motivation perfectly: “I always had an eye on Sage… I was really envious of what Sage had in terms of that deep partner commitment and this inherent community that has rallied around Sage.” She also saw something else: the finance function as one of the first places where AI will deliver real, practical value. “I knew that AI is gonna have very practical impact… and I think this is where you’re gonna see a lot of this in full production first.” Sage’s 40 years of financial data, combined with its cloud first and AI first ambitions, made the move compelling. A Complex and Growing Ecosystem Sage works with a uniquely diverse partner mix: global SIs, accounting firms, MSPs, ISVs, VARs, and developers. “There’s not one type of partner that Sage works with… we have SIs, advisors, accounting consultants, ISVs, VARs, MSPs - all building capabilities in this new cloud and AI world.” For Gretchen, the opportunity is to unify and accelerate this ecosystem - not just through programs and incentives, but through AI driven capabilities that help partners differentiate and grow. Inside Sage Future for Partners: AI Takes Center Stage Just a few weeks into the job, Gretchen was dropped straight into Sage’s global partner event in Barcelona. And Sage delivered several major announcements that will shape partner strategy for years to come. 1. Sage AI Developer Solutions (built with AWS Bedrock) This initiative lets partners build and deploy certified AI agents and workflows directly within Sage Copilot. “We announced the Sage AI for Developers program… leveraging AWS Agentic AI Marketplace to speed partners’ ability to build AI agents embedded right into Sage.” For partners, this means new revenue streams, faster innovation, and a clear place to bet in the agentic AI era. 2. Finance Intelligence Agent Sage also revealed its flagship AI Agent for CFOs and finance teams - prebuilt, trusted, and immediately usable. “We announced one of our own agents, the Finance Intelligence Agent… so partners can provide instant value without having to build anything themselves.” This agent connects Sage’s Close, AP, Assurance, and Time agents, creating a unified intelligence layer for finance operations. 3. Sage X3 Cloud A next generation cloud deployment of Sage’s manufacturing and operations platform. “We recommitted to our partner ecosystem that X3 is a big bet for Sage… partners were extremely excited about the deeper industry strategy.” Across these announcements, a consistent theme emerged: industry depth + AI agents + partner led innovation. Partner Profitability, Enablement, and Co Innovation Gretchen emphasized that partner success is not just about revenue - it is about making sure Sage partners are able to build and manage profitable, sustainable business models when working with Sage. “If you can’t have a profitable practice, then you start looking somewhere else… and I want all my partners to st
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At Sage FUTURES in San Francisco, Gretchen O’Hara delivered a clear message to partners: the market is shifting fast - and the opportunity is massive. But despite the noise around AI, one thing hasn’t changed. Partners are still at the center of how businesses win. “The channel is one of the most important things because our partners are the ones that have the deepest industry expertise and are closest to customers that can really solve their unique, unique business challenges.” AI may accelerate execution, but it doesn’t replace the need for domain expertise, customer proximity, and trusted advisory. In fact, it amplifies it. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.