SafeGuard Cyber is delighted to announce that our very own Karen Kukoda, VP for Strategic Partnerships, has been selected as an honoree for the 2022 CRN Channel Chiefs list.

CRN (The Channel Company) is the top technology information and news source for IT channel partners, value-added resellers (VARs), and solution providers. The annual Channel Chiefs project identifies the top IT channel vendor executives who “continually demonstrate expertise, influence and innovation in channel leadership.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized as a channel chief,” Karen Kukoda noted. “I want to recognize my team, consisting of industry experts like Claudia Slane and Jenn Cardamone, who both know how to create, build, expand, and execute with channel partners.  This award highlights SafeGuard Cyber’s commitment to the channel, including all our valued security and compliance partners.”

"CRN's 2022 Channel Chiefs recognition is given exclusively to the foremost channel executives who consistently design, promote, and execute effective partner programs and strategies," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "We're thrilled to recognize the tireless work and unwavering commitment these honorees put into fostering outstanding business innovation and building strong partner programs to drive channel engagement and success."

A recognized business leader in the cybersecurity industry, Ms. Kukoda's sales career has spanned more than 25 years at FireEye, MobileIron, Hewlett-Packard and AT&T Mobility. She is a previous honoree of CRN's Women of the Channel List in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, and she was named one of CRN's "100 People You Don't Know But Should" in 2018.

"In 2021, Karen launched an incredible partner program,” said Chris Lehman, CEO of SafeGuard Cyber. “Karen's industry experience and her relationships have accelerated our channel and partner growth. Our leadership team is committed to the success of this program."

SafeGuard Cyber launched its Illuminate Partner Program in 2021, with the goal to strategically align companies towards preventing digital risks and securing human connections. SafeGuard Cyber’s partnership team has spent the past year developing channel programs that excite and incentivize partners to drive joint revenue.

The partner program focuses on simplicity and consistency, purpose-built to make it easier for SafeGuard Cyber’s partners to do business while improving partner profitability. The network of partners within SafeGuard Cyber’s Illuminate program delivers intelligence, services, solutions, and security expertise that helps organizations fight back against today’s cybersecurity threats.

Again, we congratulate VP Karen Kukoda, as well as the other Channel Chief honorees for this year. To find out more about who’s on CRN Channel Chiefs 2022 list, visit their page here.