SonicWall CEO Bill Conner and Chief Revenue Officer Steve Pataky have each been named to CRN’s exclusive Top 100 Executives list for 2018.

Conner, who has held the top post at SonicWall since November 2016, is honored by CRN as one of the year’s most influential executives. Complementing that achievement, Pataky was dubbed one of the country’s elite channel sales leaders.

“Visionary and strategic leadership can make the difference between just surviving and actually excelling in this period of disruptive change for the IT channel,” said Bob Skelley, CEO, The Channel Company. “In order for technology suppliers and solution providers to thrive and stay ahead of the competition, they need leaders who are able to envision both the future of the channel and the role their organization needs to play in order to create that reality. CRN’s 2018 Top 100 Executives embody these qualities. They are change agents who deliver unwavering guidance to their companies, always asking where are we headed and not being afraid to take the necessary steps to get there.”

CRN’s annual Top 100 Executives list singles out the IT channel’s most effective CEOs — leaders who play an integral role in shaping the industry, whether by driving huge cultural shifts or forging innovative new routes to success.

This annual list recognizes leaders from the technology industry who have played an integral role in shaping today’s IT channel, whether by driving huge cultural shifts, creating rich new opportunities, or forging innovative routes to success.

Conner is among the most experienced security, data and infrastructure executives worldwide, with a career spanning over 30 years across numerous high-tech industries. A corporate turn-around expert, he’s re-engineered product lines, built world-class service organizations, re-aligned global sales organizations and created industry-leading marketing campaigns, and brokered multi-million dollar mergers, sales and acquisitions.

Conner also is a staunch supporter of public-private partnerships on cyber security, and is regularly called on to share his expertise with global leaders at major financial institutions, enterprises and governments.

Pataky is a sales and channel professional with over 25 years of experience architecting and executing global go-to-market strategies for networking and security technologies. A persistent channel advocate, Pataky builds innovative global programs and partnerdevelopment strategies at scale to generate leverage and partner profitability.

Pataky has been recognized with CRN’s prestigious Channel Chiefs award for several years, including the 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.