Tim Conkle, founder and CEO of The 20, has been named a 2025 Channel Influencer Award winner by Channel Futures.

Conkle is one of 50 individuals recognized by the editors of Channel Futures as a thought leader who has impacted the direction of the IT and communications indirect sales channel in the past year. He is profiled on Channel Futures and in a special digital issue that can be downloaded from the website.

Since 2018, the Channel Futures Channel Influencer Awards have recognized the 50 top-performing executives in the information technology and communications channel. Channel Futures Channel Influencers are a cross-section of industry leaders who have had the biggest impact on their organizations and on the channel overall. From technology advisors to managed service providers, vendor and distributor execs, analysts and more, these senior leaders represent the future of the channel. They are recognized as the year's highest achievers in strategic thinking and innovation in the indirect sales channel. Among the 50 executives honored, Channel Futures recognizes two Influencers from the list who it considers to be the year's most influential.

This year's Channel Influencers of the Year are Kate Woolley, general manager of ecosystem at IBM, and Mike Baur, CEO of ScanSource. Check out the full list of honorees here.

Previous Influencer of the Year honorees, now in the Channel Futures Channel Influencer Hall of Fame, are:

• Gavriella Schuster, former channel leader at Microsoft (2018)
• Janet Schijns, CEO of JS Group (2019)
• John DeLozier, formerly with 8×8, now CRO of C1 (2020)
• Jay McBain, formerly with Forrester, now chief analyst for Canalys (2021)
• Rich Hume, CEO of TD SYNNEX, now retired (2022)
• Christopher Trapp, founder and CEO of UPSTACK (2022)
• Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya, now vice chair (2023)
• Craig Patterson, senior vice president of global sales for Aryaka, now global channel leader at Exabeam (2023)
• Christopher Jones, assistant vice president, AT&T Partner Solutions, Alliance Channel & ACC Business, now national vice president, partner channel, Americas at GTT (2024)
• Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom (2024)

The 2025 Channel Influencers join a group that has left an indelible mark on the entire technology channel, impacting the way today's most innovative IT and connectivity solutions go to market, are sold, delivered to customers and supported. These executives selected by Channel Futures have distinguished themselves through their unwavering support of the partner community, forging deep and trusted relationships across the ecosystem. In selecting this year's Influencers, Channel Futures' editors considered the organization's partner growth, channel innovation and the individual's commitment to the indirect sales channel, along with the standing each person has among their peers.

"Channel Futures is proud to identify a whole new class of movers and shakers who are having a profound impact on the way the channel does business," said Craig Galbraith, editorial director, Channel Futures. "As the majority of businesses seeking technology solutions rely on channel partners to help them evolve and grow, the Influencers on this list are at the core of the industry today."

"When I look at the names of the other honorees — past and present — I feel a lot of things, but above all I just feel this profound sense of gratitude," Conkle said. "The IT channel has given me a fulfilling career, but more than that, it's given me lasting friendships, a steady stream of interesting challenges and the opportunity to make a real difference. To be named a Channel Influencer means a lot, and lets me know I've been able to give back a little of what I've been so lucky to receive."