'You can't scale without partners' - Sectigo's new SVP of partner sales lays down his channel plans

Christopher Bray tells CRN he wants to standardise the vendor’s channel approach and won’t underestimate EMEA like his American counterparts

Christopher Bray joined certificate lifecycle management vendor Sectigo as its new SVP of partner and eCommerce sales in May with the promise to grow its partner ecosystem.

He joined with nearly two decades of experience in the security software space and in B2B, B2C, and B2B2C channel and SaaS security software businesses.

Talking to CRN, Bray opened up about his strategy and priorities in his new role.

"The mantra that I use pretty much in every role, and I've seen this in every business I've been part of, is prioritisation of focus," Bray said about his short-term aims.

"We can't do everything at once and be all things to all people.

"We've got a lot of cool stuff going on. But I think there's an opportunity to get some better focus in key areas and accelerate the scaling of the business."

Bray added that these key areas include Sectigo's partner business.

"We do the majority of our revenues through partners already. But I think it's under optimised. We can go deeper and broader in our existing partnerships, and also push harder for new partnerships."

The new SVP delved into more detail around his plans for Sectigo's partners.

"I aim to look at our partner ecosystem and see who's delivering the most? Where should we put petrol on the fire? And where do we have people just passively selling?

"In any channel ecosystem, there's a long tail. And at some point in that tail, you've got to draw a line and ask what's my cost and servicing? All of these non-party suppliers versus the ones that are really engaged and really driving business for us?"

Long-term goals and plans for Europe

The acquisitions and operational transformation made by Sectigo through the years, have resulted in the vendor using disparate systems, and different go-to-market models, according to Bray.

In 2020 the company bought SSL247, an SSL certificate and web security provider in the UK and France, and Xolphin, which operates in the same market in the Netherlands.

"One of the things I'd like to be able to do is look back on a level of standardisation and simplification that then sets the business up for scale," Bray said.

"Because if you have all these disparate and different ways of doing stuff, you can only take that so far."

Casting his eyes to Europe, the Sectigo newcomer said he also wants this level of standardisation in the region.

"What we're focused on is having a more standardised channel approach.

"With the acquisitions and with being an international business we've done things more ad-hoc.

"We need to build out a much more standard programme that we can apply across the region."

Bray highlighted that as a US-based company he won't make the same mistake of underestimating the EMEA market as other American firms.

"Let's not forget that when you're talking about the UK and EMEA you've got a much more diverse market than you have in the US.

"The US is extremely homogeneous. And I think one of the mistakes that a lot of American companies make is they think it's one size fits all.

"That's not what I want to do. I started my career in Europe. I've run European businesses before. There are nuances and differences that need to be appreciated, and taken into account when building out these problems."

Why partners are central to Sectigo's growth

Bringing the conversation back to its central point, Bray hammered home his messaging around Sectigo channel partners.

"Quite simply, you can't scale without partners," he said.

"It is the most cost effective way to scale a business. I've seen it time and time again in every role that I've had.

"I'm always a little surprised when I learn about a business that feels that they can go at it direct.

"Maybe some product-led growth companies out there might be successful doing that, but not in my world.

"All the roles that I've had, and I think in this business as well, it's obvious that investing in the channel pays off, and for everyone. It pays off for channel partners and for overall growth of the business."

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