Women and Diversity in Channel Awards: A Q&A with James Greenham, Fortinet

As a long-time supporter of the CRN Women and Diversity in Channel Awards, Fortinet’s UKI growth solutions director James Greenham discusses representation, diverse talent, the cyber skills gap and channel opportunities ahead

What prompted you to enter the Women and Diversity in Channel Awards this year without giving anything away of course?

“We’ve supported the CRN Women & Diversity in Channel Awards for the past three years, with growing participation each year.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our people, recognise their achievements and showcase the diverse talent across Fortinet.

“For us, getting behind an initiative that puts our people on a pedestal is a no-brainer. We love it!”

What would winning this award mean to both your teams and your customers/partners?

“Participation and representation are key for Fortinet, but winning would be fantastic recognition for our people and the impact they have across our customers and partners.

“Being shortlisted is already something to celebrate, but winning would be a great endorsement of talent, commitment and collaboration across our business.

“We never take recognition for granted, we have a fresh slate and an incredible pool of talent we’re up against, so we will celebrate regardless (whilst retaining a healthy competitive edge)!”

What would you say is your company's proudest achievement over the past year?

“Our proudest achievement has been the continued progress in building a more diverse workforce while addressing the cyber skills gap.

“In 2026, we tripled the proportion of female hires into our Sales Associate programme and expanded our ‘Stronger Together’ and Early Talent initiatives, creating a more inclusive and connected culture.

“A key example being participation in a mixed gender Netball league in London, championed by one of our sales associates.”

What have been the biggest challenges of the current year so far and how have you overcome them? How have your people/partners helped with that?

“The increasing complexity of the threat landscape, accelerated by AI, has created challenges for both our customers and our people.

“Our commitment to transparency places our teams at the forefront of difficult conversations, but their expertise and customer focus have enabled us to respond with confidence.

“Our people across sales, channel and technical roles remain fundamental to the trust and guidance we provide customers.”

What lessons do you think the industry has learned over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

“The industry has learned that AI is here to stay and is already transforming how people and organisations operate.

“The challenge now is ensuring it is adopted securely, responsibly and in line with corporate policy.

“Rather than fearing AI, organisations need to equip their people to use it effectively and safely, while recognising the importance of both AI for Security and Security for AI.”

What do you see as the main opportunities for the industry in the coming 12 months? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

“As a 100 per cent channel-led business, our biggest opportunity is accelerating growth across SASE, SecOps, AI and cloud security.

“Our focus is on equipping partners with the skills and capabilities to capture these opportunities, differentiate themselves and deliver greater value to customers.”

This article is sponsored by Fortinet.