Sophos Channel Leaders Named to the 2026 CRN® Channel Chiefs List

Partner Program•Awards•Channel Leaders•CRN

Chris Bell and Scott Barlow also named among CRN’s 50 Most Influential

Feb 02 2026 By

We’re proud to announce that Chris Bell, Scott Barlow, Aaron Griffith, and Brent Nohl have been named to the prestigious 2026 CRN® Channel Chiefs list. This annual recognition honors IT and distribution leaders who are shaping channel strategy, driving innovation, and advancing partner success across the industry.

In addition, Chris Bell and Scott Barlow were named among CRN’s 50 Most Influential, underscoring the depth of Sophos’ channel leadership and its impact on the broader IT community.

For Sophos partners across MSPs, resellers, technology alliances, referral partners, and distributors, this recognition reflects the leadership behind a partner program built for flexibility, simplicity, and growth.

CRN highlighted the impact of this year’s honorees within the channel:

“Leaders recognized as CRN Channel Chiefs this year have demonstrated unwavering commitment to their partners and the broader IT channel. Their vision, passion and drive for innovation continue to shape the future of our industry. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and the positive impact they make every day,” said Jennifer Follett, Vice President, U.S. Content, Executive Editor, CRN.

Honoree Spotlight: Driving Partner Success

Each of this year’s honorees play a critical role in advancing our channel strategy and strengthening the Sophos Partner Program:

  • Chris Bell, Senior Vice President, Global Channel, Alliances and Corporate Development, leads Sophos’ global channel strategy with a strong focus on partner growth and emerging channels, shaping a flexible, high-value Partner Program.
  • Scott Barlow, Chief Evangelist and Global Head of Community, aligns the channel experience with evolving partner and market needs, enabling partners to unlock new sales opportunities and drive stronger security outcomes.
  • Aaron Griffith, Vice President of Americas Channel Sales, strengthens partner engagement and sales execution across the Americas channel ecosystem, supporting consistent experiences that drive mutual growth and customer success.
  • Brent Nohl, Senior Director, Global Channel Programs, brings deep channel expertise and a partner-first mindset to program innovation and execution, helping partners follow clear, scalable paths to enablement, growth, and long-term success.

“Our partners are at the heart of everything we do,” said Chris Bell, Senior Vice President of Global Channel, Alliances and Corporate Development at Sophos. “Being named to the CRN Channel Chiefs list reinforces our commitment to delivering a stand-out partner program in cybersecurity—one that supports partners at every stage of their journey, helps them differentiate, and enables them to grow with confidence.”

This recognition celebrates both individual leadership and our shared success across the Sophos partner community. We remain focused on investing in the tools, programs, and strategies that help partners deliver strong customer outcomes and build resilient, future-ready businesses.

Please join us in congratulating Chris Bell, Scott Barlow, Brent Nohl, and Aaron Griffith on this well-earned honor. We look forward to continuing to innovate, collaborate, and grow together.

About the Author

Sophos is a cybersecurity leader defending 600,000 organizations globally with an AI-driven platform and expert-led services. Sophos meets organizations wherever they are in their security maturity and grows with them to defeat cyberattacks. Its solutions combine machine learning, automation, and real-time threat intelligence with frontline human expertise from Sophos X-Ops to deliver advanced, 24/7 threat monitoring, detection, and response.

Sophos offers industry-leading managed detection and response (MDR) alongside a comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity technologies — including endpoint, network, email, and cloud security, extended detection and response (XDR), identity threat detection and response (ITDR), and next-gen SIEM. Together with expert advisory services, these capabilities help organizations proactively reduce risk and respond faster, with the visibility and scalability needed to stay ahead of evolving threats.

Sophos goes to market with a global partner ecosystem, including Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), resellers and distributors, marketplace integrations, and cyber risk partners, giving organizations the flexibility to choose trusted relationships when securing their business. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com.