May 25, 2011
Partners,
You've likely heard that I have indeed made the difficult decision to resign from Intuit effective June 3. I'd like to take this opportunity to provide a little more detail and answer some of the questions that are likely top of mind.
Let me start by saying that my three and a half years at Intuit, three of them managing our Solution Provider channel, have been the best of my career to date. My experience with my direct and extended Intuit teams and with you, our partners, has been so very rewarding for me personally. There have certainly been challenges along the way, but we have faced them as a community in the spirit of continuous improvement and mutual growth and profitability. Additionally, Intuit has been an amazing company to work for. I have learned so much and have embraced its core values as they are so very similar to my own. I depart confident that I am a better leader and, to some extent, better person based on the time, experiences and relationships I've been able to make.
The reason I have decided to leave is quite simple. I have been offered an executive leadership position with a firm outside of our category that represents an enormous business challenge and opportunity... the ability to potentially shape a market and help redefine the multi-channel, go-to-market strategy for a world-class Fortune 500 technology company. I will be leading global solution provider sales for an organization that specializes in IT management and security solutions delivered over various environments, including mainframe and the cloud. It is a task that is as significant as it is exciting and I am so very eager to apply all that I have learned these past few years.
I would also be remiss if I did not communicate the commitment of Intuit and my team to the channel and you, our partners. The sales growth and world class customer experience that you are driving are critical and a core part of the future of Keith's indirect channels organization. I leave you in exceptionally capable hands and with complete certainty that you and your partnership with Intuit will be as it was during my tenure. Intuit will still listen and they will still respond.
I would like to thank you, our partners, for the support, the feedback and the passion that you have shared with me and my team. It has energized me and, in those darkest of times when every hill seemed insurmountable, kept me going. Many of you have become dear friends and I will miss the regular interactions we shared. That said, it really is a small world and this is likely not a ""goodbye"" message, but an ""until we meet again"" note. I'm sorry that I was not able to share this bittersweet update with those of you I saw in person at Scaling New Heights. The timing was not right as I had not yet informed my own teams and I owed them that.
In closing, I wish each and every one of you continued success... in your businesses as in every aspect of your life in which you endeavor. I will always remember my time with Intuit and you with warmth and fondness. Should you wish to keep in touch, you can always find me on LinkedIn at
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bschaknowski
My very best to all of you.
BJ