Biz Apps Partner Podcast: Microsoft’s Alex Pombo on Co-Creating with Partners, Top Priorities, Copilot’s Transformation

Welcome to the “Biz Apps Partner Podcast,” a weekly video series designed to decentralize intelligence about how partners can scale their Microsoft practice by having short, to the point discussions with Microsoft leaders in product, engineering, marketing, partner management, programs, and more.

In episode 4, John Siefert, CEO, Dynamics Communities and Community Summit North America is joined by Alex Pombo, WW GTM Lead SMC Business Applications, Microsoft. Alex and John discuss the increasing pace of innovation and how partners can help share these stories with customers, and the transformative nature of Microsoft Copilot.

Register for the Biz Apps Partner Summit, running July 24-25 in Bellevue, Washington, where attendees will make the right connections, gain insights into Microsoft’s FY 2025 priorities, and learn how to scale their Microsoft Business Applications practice at the 24-hour event.  

Key Takeaways:

• Overview: Alex is responsible for setting the overall strategy for Microsoft Business Applications, which includes Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform portfolio, for small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Further, he is responsible for planning go-to-market (GTM) strategies which means he works closely with partners to help maintain growth aspirations.
• AI increases the pace of innovation: As he discusses the pace of innovation across the ecosystem, Alex notes that “where we are going is very much related to the motivation that I see in our customers.” Microsoft’s generative AI portfolio has greatly expanded with the integration of Microsoft Copilot across many of its products as AI continues to play a large role in customers’ digital transformation efforts. He adds that working closely with partners helps “tell the story” to customers.
• Symbiotic relationships: Partners are the lifeline of Microsoft; without them, the company could not operate, explains Alex.
• Top trends and priorities: Currently, the top priorities for Alex’s team are on the Finance & Operations (F&O) product line, migrating from on-premises systems to cloud-based alternatives, and driving conversations relating to AI with customers. Specifically, Microsoft Copilot is an extremely transformative solution that will impact the way future of business, delivering the potential for greater revenue streams and relevance.
• Co-creation with Copilot: With Microsoft Copilot, partners and Microsoft can help customers reimagine business models. “In order to make this market, we will need to educate our customers [on] what the technology does. And I think that’s the first step that we have in this journey.”
• Connect with Alex: Register for the Biz Apps Partner Summit, happening July 24-25 in Bellevue, Washington to meet Alex Pombo and learn how to dazzle customers, get insights into Microsoft’s FY 2025 priorities, and scale your Microsoft Business Applications practice.

Stream the audio version of this episode here: