Makoto Watanabe

• Lead strategic alliance initiatives with Microsoft, strengthening joint go-to-market activities across Azure, Microsoft 365, and Copilot.
• Plan and execute partner-driven programs to accelerate Copilot and Azure sales — including territory planning with Microsoft, outreach to untapped accounts, and Copilot adoption initiatives for customers without existing CSP contracts.
• Analyze cloud utilization across the existing customer base, visualizing Azure service adoption and cross-referencing with Microsoft 365 deployments to inform account strategies.
• Collaborate with Microsoft HQ and the SMC team on program alignment, data analysis, and joint planning, and support joint proposals for strategic accounts integrating Azure, Copilot, and Microsoft 365.
• Design and manage alliance KPIs, including Azure revenue, CSP conversion rate, and Copilot MAU / purchasing customer count.
• Develop the internal Microsoft business acceleration roadmap, coordinating with sales and technical teams, and propose new initiatives based on market and competitive analysis.
• Present at internal and external events and seminars.

• Led the AWS alliance business for IBM Consulting Japan, managing a cross-functional team of 12 (4 alliance specialists, 8 delivery experts) while continuously improving team productivity and maintaining high customer satisfaction.
• Developed and executed comprehensive go-to-market plans with AWS, identifying cross-selling opportunities, optimizing deal-sharing processes, and establishing new revenue streams through AWS service reselling.
• Drove joint marketing at scale — planned and executed large-scale co-hosted seminars, led IBM's exhibit and audience-attraction strategy at AWS Summit, and secured strategic sponsorships at key industry events, strengthening lead generation through digital campaigns.
• Elevated the team's technical capabilities and delivery quality by hosting regular internal technical seminars and hands-on workshops, implementing systematic solution reviews for all projects, and driving AWS certification acquisition across the team.
• Developed and deployed reusable AWS-based solution assets aligned with customer needs, accelerating proposal velocity and delivery consistency.

• Led the planning and execution of sales strategies to accelerate cloud migration for enterprise customers running Microsoft workloads.
• Promoted the deployment of a free assessment tool that visualizes the optimization benefits of migrating from on-premises environments to AWS; this initiative contributed to pipeline growth of over 2,000% and service delivery growth of over 600% year over year.
• Supported adoption through internal and external enablement — sales enablement sessions, internal campaigns to encourage proposals, and partner enablement events with individually tailored partner strategies.
• Raised customer awareness through AWS roadshows across Japan.

• Led the Japan market launch of a new licensing program as Commerce Lead — designing the local rollout strategy, aligning internal stakeholders, and enabling field sales to drive adoption with enterprise customers.
• Drove new and renewal Enterprise Agreement contracts as a specialty seller, partnering with account and solution sales teams to capture upsell and cross-sell opportunities and grow contract revenue.
• Served as the trusted advisor on complex licensing and contract structures, guiding enterprise customers to clear understanding and smooth contract closure.
• Led license compliance monitoring and assessments, protecting revenue integrity while maintaining strong customer relationships.
• Built licensing and contract expertise across the sales organization through regular training programs covering Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure.
• Automated previously email-based internal approval workflows using Power Platform, significantly streamlining sales operations.

• Drove business development for ONESOURCE, Thomson Reuters' global tax solution covering transfer pricing and direct/indirect tax compliance for multinational corporations.
• Managed strategic account relationships with 20 major Japanese global corporations, positioning ONESOURCE as a core platform for worldwide tax compliance and accounting decision-making.
• Expanded revenue through partner channel development, building and enabling a partner ecosystem to scale market reach.

• Pioneered HP Japan's license subscription revenue model by proactively marketing SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement) to hosting, managed services, SaaS, and cloud service providers — growing revenue more than 20x during tenure.
• Led the launch of a global license procurement service in Japan, enabling multinational customers to procure in bulk, bill overseas subsidiaries in local currency, and order via the web — winning large-scale deals with Sony, Fujifilm, JR East, GMO, and Nomura.
• Drove business development and consulting for Microsoft-centric third-party software within the Enterprise Services division, expanding revenue in collaboration with sales and service delivery teams.
• Built and managed relationships with Japanese channel partners, driving joint deal acquisition and negotiating procurement terms to improve profitability.

• Pioneered HP Japan's license subscription revenue model by proactively marketing SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement) to hosting, managed services, SaaS, and cloud service providers — growing revenue more than 20x during tenure.
• Led the launch of a global license procurement service in Japan, enabling multinational customers to procure in bulk, bill overseas subsidiaries in local currency, and order via the web — winning large-scale deals with Sony, Fujifilm, JR East, GMO, and Nomura.
• Drove business development and consulting for Microsoft-centric third-party software within the Enterprise Services division, expanding revenue in collaboration with sales and service delivery teams.
• Built and managed relationships with Japanese channel partners, driving joint deal acquisition and negotiating procurement terms to improve profitability.

• Launched and managed a call center supporting a patented English learning device — building the operation from the ground up, including hiring, training, and managing the operator team.
• Created the full operational toolkit — product manuals, call flows, and FAQs — enabling operators to resolve customer inquiries efficiently and consistently.

• Contributed to the launch of a call center for a CS satellite broadcasting service, leading operator training and day-to-day team management.
• Played a key role in establishing a new call center following a merger of broadcasting companies — recruiting and onboarding approximately 300 operators and driving the smooth start of operations.

Overview:

• Project Objective: To facilitate the migration of customers using Microsoft products on-premises to AWS Cloud.
• Main Activities:Utilized AWS's complimentary assessment tools to understand clients' current system operations and license usage. Conducted cost calculations for cloud optimization and proposed migration plans to customers. Provided enablement (knowledge and skill enhancement) to the internal sales team and partner companies, promoting engagement in cloud migration.

Results:

• The project significantly increased the pipeline by over 2,000% compared to the previous year.
• Delivery numbers also grew by more than 400%, greatly accelerating interest and implementation in cloud migration.

Contributions:

• Demonstrated the ability to accurately understand customer needs and current situations, proposing optimal cloud solutions.
• Fostered cooperation with internal and external stakeholders, playing a crucial role in the project's success.
• Significantly contributed to improving customer satisfaction and expanding business opportunities.

Overview:

• Project Objective: To lead the company-wide retirement of the traditional licensing program for compliance reasons, and launch its successor.
• Main Activities:Formed and led a dynamic project team consisting of about 30 leadership team members and internal stakeholders. Shared the latest information from the US headquarters, and executed the planning and scheduling of announcements for partners and customers. Consolidated feedback and requests from both internal and external sources, effectively escalating to the headquarters. Divided each issue into task teams, overseeing member assignments and progress management. Led meticulous negotiations with the legal, finance, product management, and operations departments over approximately one year.

Results:

• Achieved the introduction of a unique multi-tier distribution and leasing sales for the Japanese market in the new licensing program, a groundbreaking accomplishment not seen in other regions.
• Efficiently coordinated the necessary modifications to the ordering system, resolving compliance-related challenges.
• Facilitated a smooth transition to the new program, ensuring a seamless switch from the traditional program.

Strategic Impact:

• Skillfully navigated complex organizational structures and global stakeholders, successfully leading a major transformation.
• Utilized excellent skills in change management and communication to encourage company-wide initiatives.
• Employed cross-functional teamwork and strategic thinking to implement measures tailored to the Japanese market.

Overview:

• Project Objective: To address the complexities of license procurement faced by global companies, accelerating the implementation of global procurement services at HPE Japan.
• Main Activities:Resumed a stalled project and invited the implementation PM from Australia to Japan. Formed organizational consensus through coordination with finance, purchasing, logistics, and legal departments. Solved technical issues, including B2B integration with Microsoft's ordering system. Successfully launched the new service within just 5 months.

Specific Solutions:

• The new system enabled billing to overseas branches in their local currencies based on a consolidated contract in Japan.
• Significantly simplified operation costs and complexities of withholding tax calculations.

Results:

• Streamlined the license procurement process for clients, achieving cost reductions and ease of management.
• Successfully led major deals such as with Sony Group Asia (annual sales of approximately 3 billion yen), Fujifilm Group (annual sales of 1 billion yen), and Nomura Securities Group (annual sales of about 200 million yen).

Strategic Impact:

• The introduction of a new service catering to the needs of global companies significantly enhanced HPE's market position and profitability.