Sophos’ new ANZ channel director Marina Brook on what success means to her

Brook was previously the director of commercial sales APJ at the cybersecurity vendor.

New Sophos ANZ channel and commercial sales director Marina Brook believes success should be measured by how well their partners fair.

She told CRN Australia, "Success for me isn't measured simply by revenue. It's about helping our partners become more successful.

“I want Sophos to be recognised as the easiest cybersecurity vendor to do business with, whether that's through our people, our programs, or the support we provide.”

Brook added, “If, in 12 months' time, our partners are growing faster, delivering more managed security services, and seeing Sophos as a strategic part of their business, I'll consider that a great result."

Brook was recently promoted to her new role, where she will be leading Brook is responsible Sophos’ ANZ channel and commercial sales strategy, working closely with partners, distributors and internal teams to drive growth, strengthen engagement and deliver improved cybersecurity outcomes for customers.

In her first year, Brook said she wants to build on the “strong foundations” already in place and help their partners grow their business.

“That means continuing to invest in partner enablement, creating more opportunities to engage with our teams, and making it easier for partners to have broader cybersecurity conversations with their customers,” she said.

“We'll continue to strengthen our distribution relationships, expand our commercial and MSP motions, and help partners take advantage of the opportunities around AI, managed detection and response, network security, and Microsoft security.

“Ultimately, my goal is to ensure every partner has a clear path to winning more customers, growing recurring revenue and building long-term, profitable relationships with Sophos."

As cybersecurity continues to evolve with an increase in threats to partners, Brook said it has “never moved faster”.

“Partners are dealing with more sophisticated threats, customers are expecting more, and at the same time many organisations simply don't have the internal security skills or resources to keep up,” she said.

“The challenge isn't just selling technology anymore. It's helping customers reduce risk, simplify increasingly complex security environments, and maximise the value of their security investment.

“Partners that can shift those conversations from products to business outcomes will be the ones that stand out."

Brook’s message to her partners is simple, “there has never been a more important time to be having cybersecurity conversations with your customers”.

She said, “AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape at an incredible pace. It's giving defenders powerful new capabilities, but it's also making attacks faster, more sophisticated, and more accessible than ever before.

“Customers are looking for guidance on how to navigate that change, and that's where partners can really make a difference.”