As enterprise investment in AI accelerates, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: no company scales AI alone.
Deploying AI in the contact center — across geographies, platforms, regulations, and operating models — requires more than great technology. It requires trusted partners who can help enterprises move from experimentation to real, measurable impact.
That’s why Cresta is doubling down on partnerships as we move into 2026, and investing in the leadership to build a partner ecosystem that can scale with our customers.
We’re excited to welcome Vanya Jakovljevic, Senior Director of Partner Sales, and Ben Evans, VP of GSI Partnerships, to help lead the next phase of Cresta’s partnership motion.
Together, they bring decades of experience building global partner ecosystems, driving enterprise revenue through GSIs and services partners, and turning complex technology into outcomes customers can actually realize. We sat down with them to learn about their backgrounds, why they chose Cresta, and what’s ahead for our partner ecosystem.
Across their careers, both Ben and Vanya have seen the same thing play out repeatedly: partnerships only work when they are built around real customer needs, not logos or surface-level alliances.
Ben, who has spent years leading partnerships across the contact center and collaboration ecosystem, from Cisco and Avaya to Genesys, Five9, and global system integrators (GSI), has seen how critical this becomes at enterprise scale.
“The strongest partnerships go beyond logos, and announcements” Ben says. “They work when both companies are focused on solving real customer problems together, and creating outcomes that benefit everyone involved.”
That mindset aligns closely with Cresta’s platform vision. Rather than forcing enterprises into rigid deployment paths, Cresta enables customers to adopt AI in a way that fits their environment, whether that’s on-premise or cloud, and evolve over time.
“Cresta goes beyond adding AI to existing systems,” Ben explains. “It delivers a unified platform for human and AI agents that’s built for today’s operations and tomorrow’s change."
Why Now: Partner-Led AI Adoption
While ecosystem strategy sets the foundation, execution is what turns opportunity into growth. That’s where Vanya’s focus comes in.
As Senior Director of Partner Sales, Vanya brings nearly a decade of experience building and scaling partner revenue motions across global consulting firms, BPOs, and GSIs, including nine years at Adobe managing some of its largest partner relationships.
“The biggest enterprises in the world don’t buy into transformation without validation and help,” Vanya says. “Partners are often the ones guiding that journey, especially when change management and technology modernization is involved.”
Right now, that change is accelerating fast. Enterprises are actively shifting budgets toward AI in the contact center, and demand is growing faster than direct teams alone can support.
“There’s an enormous amount of investment flowing into AI,” Vanya notes. “To keep pace, and to reach more Fortune 500 organizations, partners aren’t optional. They’re mission critical.”
But scaling partner revenue requires focus and trust. One of Vanya’s core priorities is ensuring Cresta invests deeply in the right partners, rather than spreading effort too thin.
“You have to be deliberate,” he says. “Build trust, align on strategy, and get early wins together. That’s how you create momentum that lasts.”
From Strategy to Execution: Building the Cresta Partner Motion
This expansion on Cresta’s partner team is intentionally two-pronged.
As VP of GSI Partnerships, Ben is focused on building a global ecosystem of system integrators and services partners that can support enterprise AI adoption at scale, particularly as customers move from experimentation to full deployment.
“GSIs play a critical role when AI goes into production,” Ben says. “They bring operational rigor, change management, and geographic reach, especially in complex, regulated environments.”
Cresta’s platform-agnostic approach is a key enabler here. Customers can start where they are and layer capabilities over time, without a disruptive rip-and-replace.
“That flexibility matters to GSIs,” Ben adds. “It allows customers to move at their own pace while still seeing value quickly. That’s how AI adoption sticks.”
On the execution side, Vanya is focused on making sure partner-led deals are repeatable, collaborative, and successful in the field.
“Transformational partner deals are highly coordinated,” he says. “Partners often bring access to stakeholders we don’t have, whether that’s the C-suite, IT leadership, or operations, and our job is to work together to deliver outcomes.”
That means building internal muscle memory, aligning Cresta’s sales teams with partner motions, and enabling partners with the right training and support.
“Enablement isn’t about flooding partners with content,” Vanya explains. “It’s about helping them confidently tell the Cresta story, identify joint GTM motions that fit into their capabilities and supporting them end-to-end through the sales cycle.”
What This Means for Partners and Customers
For partners, Cresta offers the opportunity to build a long-term AI practice around a proven platform, marquee customers, and a deeply engaged team.
“Our customer base gives Cresta immediate credibility,” Vanya says. “Working with some of the biggest brands in the world, and across industries, creates real momentum with partners.”
For customers, stronger partnerships translate into faster deployments, deeper expertise, and more durable results.
“Partnerships help customers move beyond pilots,” Ben explains. “They accelerate time-to-value and ensure AI investments actually deliver measurable impact.”
Looking Ahead
Over the next year, Cresta’s focus is clear: enable partners deeply, deliver early wins, and build a foundation for long-term scale.
“The next six months are about training and activating our partners to keep pace with growing market demand and convert real opportunities - across the U.S. and international markets,” Ben says.
Vanya shares that optimism.
“We’re seeing major GSI’s, BPO’s, and consulting firms partners excited to work with us,,” he says. “That’s a strong signal that we’re on the right track and building something meaningful.”
As AI continues to reshape the contact center, Cresta is committed to building an ecosystem that helps enterprises—and partners—succeed together.
