CRN Honors Nine WatchGuardians on 2026 Channel Chiefs List
We’re excited to celebrate nine WatchGuard leaders who have been named to CRN’s prestigious 2026 Channel Chiefs list, a highly anticipated annual recognition of the top executives shaping the IT channel ecosystem. These WatchGuardians have demonstrated exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and unwavering commitment to empowering partners and driving growth in the cybersecurity landscape.
Each honoree has played a pivotal role in advancing WatchGuard’s global channel strategy, building stronger partner programs, and helping solution providers deliver differentiated value to their customers. Their influence across sales, marketing, partner enablement, and operations underscores the broad impact WatchGuard brings to the cybersecurity channel.
We’re proud to also share that Michelle Welch has been named to CRN’s 2026 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs ‒ an elite distinction recognizing exceptional leadership and impact in the IT channel. This honor reflects the strength of WatchGuard’s channel vision and its growing influence across the global partner community.
Meet the 2026 WatchGuard Channel Chiefs
This year’s honorees span key leadership functions across the company, reinforcing WatchGuard’s dedication to partner success and channel innovation:
- Michelle Welch, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Strategy
- HoJin Kim, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer
- Tracy Hillstrom, Vice President of Brand and Content Marketing
- Karen Ray, Global Vice President Field & Partner Marketing
- Ruben Luna, Vice President Sales Strategy and Operations
- Derek Maggiacomo, Vice President, Americas Sales
- Hilary Taylor-Hartle, Partner Ecosystem Growth Manager
- Chris Wachel, Regional Vice President of Sales, North America
- Rich Workman, Vice President, Global Renewal Sales
“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.
Looking Ahead
As the channel environment evolves through 2026 and beyond, these honored WatchGuardians are positioned to shape future trends ‒ from enhanced partner enablement to innovation in unified security solutions and go-to-market excellence.
Their success reflects a broader commitment at WatchGuard to be the perfect fit for our channel community, to empower partners with tools, training, and strategies that help them differentiate their services, protect customers more effectively, and scale their businesses profitably.