“As part of many partners’ long-range plans or their strategic planning, they aspire to grow outside of either their region or two regions,” said David Smith, Google’s new global head of partner programs. “We need to embrace and understand those partners.”
“We’re going to be thoughtful and deliberate about investing globally, and we’re going to intentionally be regionally aware so that we don’t create one-size-fits-all partner programs,” Smith, Google’s worldwide head of partner programs, told CRN.
“This is really good for many of those smaller and medium-sized partners in some of these emerging markets that need us to really understand the localization needs and the needs of the unique buying patterns within that market,” said Smith (pictured above). “So I’m really excited about this.”
[Related: Google’s New Partner Leader On Key Investments, Microsoft Worry And ‘Enabling Partner Superpowers’]
Smith has decades of channel and sales experience working at Microsoft for 27 years before Google hired him in November. His roles at Microsoft included vice president of worldwide channel sales as well as vice president of worldwide SMB sales.
“I’ve had a lot of global experience in my career. I’m going to try to be thoughtful in being regionally aware or geo-aware,” he said. “The whole world isn’t like the U.S. or Canada or U.K. or France or Germany, which some might describe as mature markets.”
Google Cloud To Fuel Partners’ ‘Long Range Plans’ For Expansion
Smith’s push comes as Google rolls out its new flagship partner program, the Google Cloud Partner Network, which is geared toward enabling partners of all shapes and sizes to differentiate themselves via specialized skills to better compete against larger solution providers.
The new customer outcome-focused and AI-powered program moves away from tracking the work of channel traditional requirements—such as business plans and customer stories—and towards rewarding partners around pre-sales influence, co-innovation, post-sales support and customer success.
Key to Smith’s global expansion charge is partners being able to differentiate themselves and prove their Google technical expertise with the launch of 21 new competences this year. Additionally, there are two types of competences a partner can be awarded: a baseline Competency and an Advanced Competency badge.
Smith said Google will help drive global expansion for partners who invest and obtain these new competencies, which proves they’re ready for more co-selling opportunities and new customers.
“As part of many partners’ long-range plans or their strategic planning, they aspire to grow outside of either their region or two regions,” Smith said.
For example, a partner based in the U.K. often wants to expand throughout EMEA or into the Americas, he said.
“We need to embrace and understand those partners. This is especially important for system integrators and ISVs that have unique capabilities around certain industries and verticals, because they need that multi-region scale,” Smith said. “If they have the capability, we need to embrace that.”
Google’s New Push ‘Completely Changes Our Growth Potential,’ Pythian CEO Says
Google is also helping partners expand globally by eliminating regional certification requirements.
Brooks Borcherding, CEO of Google Cloud Premier Services partner Pythian, said he “loves” this move and Smith’s goal of helping Pythian enter new markets.
“In the past, Google required partners to get certified in each region independent from other regions. This created significant challenges for smaller boutique system integrators like Pythian to comply, especially in new growth territories,” said Borcherding (pictured below).
Borcherding said he’s excited to work with Smith and Google Cloud this year to boost its unique offerings around change management services focused on driving customer adoption of Gemini Enterprise and Gemini for Workspace, as well as its world-class Oracle Database@Google Cloud practice.
“David recognized our true distinction of skills and capabilities and has already helped to promote our specific superpowers through the Google field,” Borcherding said.
“It’s a homerun for partners and completely changes our growth potential,” he said.
‘We Embrace The Local Partner Ecosystem’
In addition to helping existing partners enter emerging or new markets on a global scale, Smith said Google Cloud is also looking to recruit and onboard new partners.
“The entrepreneurial spirit of a new Google AI partner forming in Indonesia or Mexico or in Japan—it doesn’t matter the market—we embrace the local partner ecosystem that is forming within that geography just as much as any partner that wants to expand,” Smith said.
Google’s partner ecosystem consists of tens-of-thousands of system integrators, MSPs, AI consulting firms, ISVs, resellers and end-to-end solution providers.
Smith said his goal is to elevate every partner who is betting on Google Cloud to lead in the AI era.
“When you have the dynamic of both—expanding existing partners and getting new partners in emerging markets—you can really ensure that you’re going to meet that customer opportunity, because that’s the definition of success,” Smith said. “Especially in emerging markets, the TAM is huge.”
Google Cloud generated a record $17.7 billion in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2025, representing a 48 percent increase year over year. Google’s cloud business now has an annual run rate of $71 billion.
