Spotlight on Elana Rankin

What do you love the most about it being in partnerships?

Honestly, I love how collaborative partnerships and alliances are. Working closely with both internal teams and external partners to create real value is so rewarding — it’s something I haven’t experienced in other types of roles. I get a real buzz from helping partners grow while also driving business impact, and I enjoy seeing relationships and strategies evolve over time.

What makes partnerships so exciting for me personally, is that they let me leverage all of my skills in a way I haven’t been able to in strictly new business or account management roles. In partnerships, you can combine strategic thinking with that hunger for new business, revenue growth, and innovative approaches, to go-to-market. At the same time, you get to build and nurture long-term relationships with partners, which is something I really enjoy and find incredibly rewarding. For me, partnerships are the perfect fit because they bring together strategy, execution, relationship-building, and innovation all in one role. It feels like the best of all worlds!

What are the biggest challenges?

I’d say it’s juggling all the different stakeholders and keeping everyone aligned. You’re constantly balancing expectations across teams, departments, and organisations, which can get tricky — especially in fast-moving industries like tech, finance, and cybersecurity.

Another big challenge is demonstrating ROI. Partnerships are a huge revenue multiplier, but they don’t usually show results quickly. You rarely see the full impact in the first quarter — sometimes it takes 9–12 months before the value becomes tangible. That makes it tricky to secure long-term buy-in from leadership on both sides, particularly when they’re focused on seeing results within the financial year.

The key is balancing long-term strategic vision with the results you need to drive today. You need to build a compelling story internally and at the partner organisation level: why the partnership matters, what value it will create over time, and how short-term wins feed into that bigger picture. It’s this combination of patience, persistence, and storytelling that ultimately drives success — ensuring everyone sees both the immediate wins and the strategic impact while keeping the customer outcome front and centre.

What attributes make you good at your job as Partner Director?

I think a mix of personal qualities and professional skills makes me effective:

• Relationship building: I genuinely enjoy connecting with people, understanding their goals, and finding ways to create mutual value.

• Curiosity: I ask lots of questions to understand the partner’s business, challenges, and opportunities and how we can have the most impact on how they go to market for their customers.

• Strategic thinking: I’m able to align partner opportunities with broader business objectives and identify areas for growth.

• Problem-solving: Partnerships rarely straightforward and each one is different so creative solutions and adaptability are essential.

• Persistence and resilience: Things don’t always go to plan, so staying positive and moving forward is critical.

• Customer focus: Keeping the end customer in mind ensures that partnerships deliver tangible impact and sustainable results.

How important is networking and face-to-face in your role?

Networking is huge in partnerships. Virtual tools are great for staying connected, but building trust and rapport in person just accelerates everything. Conferences, events, partner meetings — they’re all brilliant opportunities to connect meaningfully. Finding the right balance between virtual and in-person networking is really important.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to shift from a different role into partnerships?

• Get curious: Ask lots of questions and learn from experienced partnership managers and those who work heavily within the partner ecosystem.

• Shadow and observe: Seek opportunities to sit in on meetings, calls, or projects to see partnerships in action.

• Develop key skills: Focus on relationship management, strategic thinking, and business acumen.

• Understand both sides: Learn to see things from the partner’s perspective as well as your organisation’s goals.

• Be patient and persistent: Partnerships take time, but the results are worth it.

• Always be accountable: To the partnership and your company.

How important do you think partnerships will be in the next five years?

I genuinely think partnerships are only going to become more critical than ever. As businesses embrace digital transformation, co-sell opportunities, and ecosystem strategies, strong alliances will drive revenue, expand market reach, and fuel innovation. Companies that understand and leverage partnerships will have a clear competitive advantage.

How are you helping raise the profile of women in partnerships?

I try to be as open and approachable as possible and make myself available for conversations and mentoring, both inside my company and outside of it. I really believe that building networks and sharing knowledge is a powerful way to help people get into partnerships, develop their skills, and grow their expertise in the field. I am looking forward to contributing to the Women in Alliances community and supporting our joint mission to ensure partnerships has ‘a seat at the table’  which they so justly deserve.

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