SOPHOS'S SALES TEAM EXPANSION SEES CHANNEL GET SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT

Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses and spam, has announced a major expansion to its UK sales team, with the appointment of six new employees. The company's growth and associated restructuring now provides a dedicated point of contact for each reseller, further enhancing its position as a 100% channel-focused vendor.

The six new members of the UK sales team bring a wealth of experience to Sophos from many areas of the IT industry, including Microsoft, IBM and BT.

Joining the UK leadership team will be Alison Heath, who joins as the regional business manager and will continue to build the business relationship with Sophos's top 60 channel partners around the UK. Heath has more than 20 years experience in the IT industry, and joins from Fujitsu Siemens, where she held the role of corporate channel sales director. She has also held senior sales and manager roles at ASP, Netstore; leading memory manufacturer, Kingston Technology; major European distributor, Merisel; and Compaq.

"I am delighted to be part of this growing team and look forward to taking advantage of the growth opportunities Sophos has in the UK market," said Heath. "Empowering the channel to help its customers better tackle viruses, spam and malicious spyware is vital. With some highly talented and experienced individuals working alongside me, I feel that this is a very positive career move."

Julie Bown joins Sophos as a channel business manager and will work with some of the company's top channel partners in London. Emma Gascoigne will also be a channel business manager and joins Sophos from its channel partner, Trustmarque Solutions.

Mike Weir and Nicola Gingell both join as internal account managers, while Jon Sheather joins as corporate sales executive.

"The team's expansion should form the platform for strong and advantageous channel partnerships," said Stuart Small, UK sales and marketing director at Sophos. "In providing each partner with a dedicated point of contact, we can ensure they are getting all the necessary support from us."