Industry Veteran to Spearhead Channel Leadership, Focused on Empowering Partners and Driving Business Growth
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced it has named Chris Bell as senior vice president of global channel, alliances and corporate development, where he will lead the evolution of Sophos’ global channel strategy. This key appointment reinforces Sophos’ channel-first commitment to deliver a world-class partner experience.
Bell joined Sophos following its acquisition of Secureworks, where he served as chief strategy officer, responsible for long-term vision, strategic partnerships, corporate development and strategy. Building on his career of more than two decades working in the technology industry, including nearly a decade in cybersecurity and channel; Bell’s leadership will focus on developing and executing a channel strategy that prioritizes expanding reach, empowering partners and driving growth. Key priorities for Bell at Sophos will include:
- Enhancing Sophos Partner Experience to make it seamless for partners to do business with Sophos at high velocity, while streamlining operations.
- Continued Innovation for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) with Sophos’ industry-leading cybersecurity platform, enabling superior cybersecurity outcomes for customers, enhancing operational efficiency for security analysts, and boosting profitability for partners.
- Fueling Partner Growth with service delivery competencies,expanded partner enablement programs including persona-based training and fast-track training to expand partners cybersecurity expertise.
- Increasing Sophos' Market Reach by leveraging the unified portfolio of Sophos and Secureworks to deliver best-in-class security technologies and services, empowering partners to enhance cybersecurity and strengthen the security posture of organizations, from commercial to enterprise.
- Expanding Routes to Market by bolstering Sophos’ presence across technology alliances, marketplaces and the cyber insurance ecosystem. Sophos will also continue to maintain its focus across resellers, service providers, and OEM channels.
“Partners need adaptable strategies that prioritize flexibility to stay ahead of the increasingly complex threat landscape,” said Bell. “Unifying Sophos’ and Secureworks’ portfolios presents a unique opportunity to accelerate a future-ready channel program that arms partners with the technology, services, insights, and enablement needed to protect customers and fuel long-term growth.”
A core piece of Sophos’ channel strategy is to better equip partners in addressing the evolving security challenges faced by businesses of all sizes. By aligning more closely with partner needs and prioritizing an open ecosystem, Sophos aims to create a stronger partner network that supports customers from strategy to technology and deployment.
“Evolving our channel business to consistently deliver excellent customer outcomes is at the core of our partner go-to-market approach,” said Torjus Gylstorff, chief revenue officer at Sophos. “We are thrilled to have Chris’ strategic vision and deep channel and cybersecurity expertise to shape Sophos’ channel strategy and build programs to empower partners to scale their security business.”
Sophos consistently expands its service delivery capabilities and is recognized for its leadership in implementing partner feedback into its products and enablement offerings. Following the acquisition of Secureworks, Sophos is the leading pure-play cybersecurity vendor of managed detection and response services, protecting more than 28,000 global customers. Sophos also strives to streamline partner operations through initiatives like Sophos Partner Care, a 24x7 team dedicated to providing quoting, licensing and general partner account support, and Sophos Customer Success, a single point of contact for maximizing customer onboarding, retention and growth throughout the post-sales experience.
Sophos Channel Recognition
Sophos has been recognized as a Champion in the Canalys Global Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix 2025*, underscoring its excellence in channel management and market performance. Additionally, Sophos received a 5-Star Award in the 2025 CRN Partner Program Guide and has been a recipient of the 5-Star Award for the past 12 years. The CRN Partner Program Guide is a key resource that helps solution providers identify vendor programs aligned with their business goals and committed to delivering high partner value.
To learn more about the Sophos Partner Program, visit: www.sophos.com/partners.
*Source: Global Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix 2025, Canalys (now part of Omdia), 03/25/25