Many a comedian has offered up variations of the quip “Trying is the first step toward failure.” But if you were to ask Bill Melo, he would probably tell you that overcoming the fear of failure and being fearless in an unrelenting pursuit of your goals is the best path to embark upon. After all, Melo notes, failure is nothing but success delayed.
The chief marketing executive for Toshiba America Business Solutions and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions has never been afraid to push the limits, which makes him a prime example of the business world’s ultimate two-strike hitter. He knows success will come, as it has repeatedly during his 17-year journey with Toshiba and 30-year marketing career.
“I would like to think that I learned from the past, but I am not held captive by it,” said Melo, a 2019 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “We have led the industry with some innovative thinking and programs by being unafraid to defy conventional wisdom in favor of what we thought worked for us, our dealers and our end-users. I’d like to think that I had a part in creating some of the innovative partnerships and programs that we’ve introduced.”
Melo enjoys the autonomy that comes with his positions, as well as the variety that accompanies being a CME for the company’s printing and point of sale businesses. Wearing both hats, he’s had the unique opportunity to bolster Toshiba’s brand and enhance its recognition while creating new business opportunities. He helped usher in Toshiba into the MPS landscape with its Encompass program back in 2004 and continues to look for ways to bolster the OEM’s value proposition.
He holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, which he attained after realizing a career in the music industry didn’t hold much prospect (Melo played guitar in a New York band). In 1989, he caught on at Ricoh Corp. as a pricing analyst for the company’s RMAP program, which opened the door to a fulfilling career spent jamming with multiple companies before arriving at Toshiba in 2002.
Melo has crossed paths with a slew of industry notables, from Mike Stramaglio and Dennis Eversole to Rick Taylor, Mark Mathews and Scott Maccabe. “Each of these leaders had their own style,” Melo noted, “but each of them encouraged me to be better.”
In his current role on the print side, Melo aspires to drive demand for Toshiba products and services, and he believes the company has some exciting plans for 2020. Some of those will come to light in May during Toshiba’s LEAD Conference, which brings together the OEM’s resellers, partners and end-users for several days of education and camaraderie.
“Our focus is on adoption and getting more of our reseller partners to execute the strategies that we think will help grow their business,” he said. “We believe there’s a lot of life left in the print and document management business and our charter is to help our reseller partners win with our products and programs.”
Melo is the father of three children—two boys and a girl. When he’s not spending time with them, he’s feeding one of his two other passions, sports and music. While not a frequent vacation-taker, Melo has had the good fortune to travel to Africa, Europe and Asia on dealer trips.
