By Andy Slawetsky – Xerox, the iconic American company, recently held its first major Partner Summit since 2018. The event, hosted in Miami, served as a vibrant platform for new leadership to present their vision for the future. As a guest of Xerox at this event, I got an insider’s view into the company’s strategies, priorities and future directions.

The opening reception was held at the hotel, a beautiful backdrop for the conference. CEO Steve Bandrowczak started the event by telling attendees how Xerox gives back. You can see his speech here:

The first day opened with the charisma of CMO Deena LaMarque Piquion, who set the stage for CEO Steve B.

Hailing from Queens, NY, Steve’s presence on stage is as commanding as it is inspiring. He spoke candidly about the trials of recent years, acknowledging the impacts of the pandemic and supply chain issues.

Yet, he also reminded attendees of significant accomplishments, such as the acquisition of CareAR, the rebranding of the financial services group to FITTLE and the recent donation of PARC. The pride Steve has for Xerox’s heritage is evident and he seeks to rekindle this sentiment within the company.

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When discussing the questions many dealers have regarding the potential of competitor Fuji coming to the US market, Steve responded, “bring it the f*ck on,” as one would expect a kid from Queens to put it. The crowd loved it.

Following Steve’s address, President and COO John Bruno, who joined Xerox just 7 months ago, took the stage. For an industry outsider who is still technically getting his feet wet, Bruno already has a firm grasp on the lingo and the market. Bruno emphasized the critical role of channels for Xerox, accounting for 42% of their transactional volume. He revealed significant investments Xerox is making to simplify business transactions within the US. Bruno is notably passionate about harnessing cognitive AI for the company and its customers and the hybrid workplace, a sentiment he shared during our one-on-one meeting. Xerox has already started making strides in this area, with internal AI projects cutting their call center’s daily volume by 30,000 and reducing response times from days to hours.

Bruno’s dedication to restoring Xerox to its former glory was palpable. His actions at their Webster, NY facilities speak volumes: unhappy with the state of disrepair much of the iconic campus has fallen into, he made it a priority to fix that. In fact, one of his first orders of business after visiting the site was to have power brought to the flagpole where a massive American flag had to be taken down each day at dusk.

“It wasn’t lit…I immediately had them dig a trench and run electricity. We’re one of the most iconic American companies out there,” he said to me, “light the f*cking flag at night.” (There was no shortage of profanity dropped at this meeting).

Also impressive; he sought the advice of Anne Mulcahey, one of Xerox’s most respected and beloved former CEOs, to gain a deeper understanding of the company’s past, embodying his commitment to revitalizing this American icon. She saved the company and completed a heroic turnaround. Bruno seems to want to recapture some of that magic.

An insightful panel discussion followed, hosted by Tracey Koziol, CPO and featuring executives Elizabeth Fox, Terry Antinora, Mike Kirby, and Steve Miller. The conversation spanned topics such as the augmented worker, hybrid work, product line enhancements, and the role of AI.

The panel referenced a Quocirca study highlighting Xerox’s leadership in print security and discussed their focus on helping customers thrive through their production printers and presses.

The race to relevance in the AI era was the key theme of analyst Louella Fernandes of Quocirca’s presentation. Fernandes shared intriguing insights on Generation Z’s role in reshaping the workplace, the crucial role of security, the challenges facing CIOs in maintaining print security and the growing importance of Managed Print Services (MPS).

Following the presentations, Karl Boissonneault and Mariola Martinez outlined the partner strategy. Boissonneault now heads the North American program, encompassing Agents, dealers, resellers and more.

The day ended with breakout sessions and a delightful reception at the hotel.

The following morning continued the focus on partner relations and unveiled Xerox’s exciting new marketing campaign: “We make work, work”.

This fresh approach is a testament to the enthusiasm permeating the Xerox team, from the CEO down.

The Partner Summit was a significant moment for Xerox. After enduring several challenging years, the company demonstrated humility, accepting responsibility for past issues.

There’s excitement around the new era dawning at Xerox, a sentiment shared by attendees who were fired up by the fresh vision and direction the company is taking. Dealers like Visual Edge IT (Xerox’s biggest dealer) and David Ramos called it, “a great event with great people.”

The conference was a strong step in the right direction, one of which many are needed to bring Xerox back to their once dominant ways. However, as we move forward, there’s a lot to look forward to as Xerox makes work, work.

SOURCE Industry Analysts Inc.