Chris Bell, previously the chief strategy officer at Secureworks, has stepped into the role of senior vice president of channels, alliances, and global development at Sophos.
The move comes after Sophos completed its $859 million acquisition of Secureworks last month. The merger will further deliver advanced managed detection and response (MDR) and extended detection and response (XDR) solutions for the companies’ global customers. Their combined AI-enhanced technologies will deliver end-to-end security solutions to defend all critical points across the attack surface.
Experienced Operator
Bell has long experience in the cybersecurity landscape and the channel. He was with Secureworks for over eight years, serving in numerous roles before becoming chief strategy officer. Before joining Secureworks, Bell made significant contributions at Dell Technologies and AMD, giving him a well-rounded understanding of the channel. He's been passionate about driving revenue growth, building strong partner relationships, and creating innovative partner programs.
Bell is already outlining his priorities in his new role at Sophos. Notably, he highlighted managed detection and response (MDR) as a critical area of focus, reinforcing Sophos’ commitment to this growing sector. With a 37 percent increase in MDR sales since last year, Sophos is the world’s most trusted MDR service, protecting over 28,000 organizations worldwide.
Raised to the Power of Two
Bell will drive cross-selling opportunities with existing partners while actively recruiting new partners, especially MSPs, to join the award-winning Sophos Global Partner Program. Partners can then leverage the combined Sophos/Secureworks portfolio to maximize their profitability in today’s dynamic cybersecurity landscape. Bell's leadership will bring a fresh perspective and invigorate the partner ecosystem.
Stay tuned for more updates as Sophos continues to grow its partner commitment and enablement practices as a channel-first organization.