In this episode of Bring Your Own Directions, Björn Döhler sits down with Sabrina Glawion, Catworks’ Global Partner Management Lead, to explore how she built a partner-management engine that has scaled a boutique Swiss startup of 50 people into a 260-strong global consultancy. From her early days writing invoices and ordering coffee, to orchestrating relationships across Europe, the Americas, and beyond, Sabrina shares the messy, chaotic, and ultimately rewarding path she’s taken to redefine how partnerships power Catworks’ growth.

Meet Sabrina Glawion

• Background: Office clerk turned notary assistant turned Atlassian-ecosystem specialist

• Then: One of three founding team members at Catworks Switzerland (2018)

• Now: Leads a global practice across multiple acquisitions (Time to Act Group, Statum, Brains, Everett)

• Fun Fact: When life gets overwhelming, she unwinds by watching trash-TV rather than yoga or meditation

Key Takeaways

1. Start Small, Think Big

• Back-office bootcamp: Sabrina’s first role spanned marketing, sales, finance, invoicing… and yes, coffee runs.

• Learning by doing: With zero playbook, she reached out to fellow partner managers in the ecosystem to reverse-engineer KPIs and best practices.

2. Rigorous – but Flexible – Partner Filtering

• Marketplace metrics: Categorize by install count, number of apps, and vendor size.

• Revenue alignment: Track each partner’s 12-month turnover with Catworks to assign Platinum/Gold/Silver tiers.

• Forge-first outlook: Prioritize partners embracing Atlassian’s Forge platform to ensure future-proof integrations.

3. Building Bridges Across Time Zones

• 24/7 coverage: By collaborating with team members in Brazil and the U.S., Sabrina’s “office” stretches over 15 hours every day.

• Handover rituals: Morning brief with EMEA, mid-day handoff to the Americas, evening wrap-up ensures no one’s left stranded.

4. Championing Dialogue Over Documents

• Virtual “coffee chats”: Sabrina holds one-to-one calls with new stakeholders to establish trust – especially critical when they can’t meet face-to-face.

• Slack & Teams channels: A dedicated “partner-management” channel brings together technical leads, marketers, and external vendors for real-time Q&A.

• Weekly internal roundup: A concise Confluence “Partner Update” blog surfaces the week’s biggest partner news and opportunities.

5. Meeting Styles: Chaotic but Caring

• Agenda sketching: Sabrina jots one-word prompts in Teams to remind herself of talking points – then dives deep once the video lights up.

• Selective elaboration: For key stakeholder sessions, she’ll spend 30 minutes prepping; for quick vendor check-ins, she riffs off memory.

• Supporting the shy voices: Post-meeting one-on-ones help introverted colleagues share feedback they might’ve held back in the group.

Tools & Tips

Sabrina’s Personal KPI

“I know I’ve succeeded when colleagues – and even customers – recognize Catworks as the go-to integration and solution partner. Hearing, ‘We couldn’t have done this without you,’ is better than any dashboard metric.”

What’s Next?

Over the next 12 months, Sabrina will:

1. Unify partner processes across all Time to Act Group brands, eliminating hand-offs between entities.

2. Launch integrated GTM campaigns showcasing bundled solutions – for example, pairing resolution.de’s NAZA app with Catworks’ managed services.

3. Expand regional hubs, adding dedicated partner leads in North America and Asia to deepen local engagement.

Tune In & Subscribe

Catch the full conversation with Sabrina on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ review if you love hearing stories about growing teams, solving chaotic challenges, and most importantly, bringing your own dialogue to every partnership.

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