The new European head of security vendor Proofpoint plans to invest heavily in improving the vendor’s channel relations.

Proofpoint, which works with equIP as its sole UK distributor, recently secured an additional $20m of venture-capital funding. Mark Hughes, managing director EMEA of Proofpoint, has claimed he intends to ensure Europe gets its fair share of the money.

Speaking to CRN, Hughes said: “We haven’t seen the growth in Europe that we have seen in the US. That boils down to a lack of investment in the channel and the market in general. I want to generate more of a name for Proofpoint, and I know a pretty healthy proportion of the extra funding we gained has been earmarked for EMEA.”

Hughes, who previously helped Oracle to develop its global partner programme, said he came from a channel-focused background.

“The channel is extremely important to Proofpoint. Here in the UK we will be investing a lot more in marketing to help generate leads for partners, and to get our message across,” he said.

However, the firm will also be investing in its direct sales force, which sells to The Times 1,000 listed firms, Hughes said.

Grahame Smee, managing director of equIP, welcomed the extra investment.

“Our Proofpoint business has been growing steadily over the past six months. But a lot of its business is done through unconventional channels, such as IBM, which is not a part of our business,” he said.

“Anything that will help us increase our profits in the traditional distribution and reseller space is music to our ears. We are hopeful that there will soon be some investment in that area.”

sara_yirrell@vnu.co.uk