WatchGuard hires Allison Clarke to lead partner programs and GTM activity

WatchGuard Technologies has announced the appointment of Allison Clarke as vice president of partner programs and go-to-market strategy.

Clark steps into the newly created role as the unified cybersecurity specialist moves to strengthen its channel-first business model and further streamline its partner experience.

The seasoned channel leader is tasked with leading the strategy, innovation, and alignment of WatchGuard's partner programs and go-to-market initiatives across all routes to market.

According to the vendor, she will work to ensure partners' voices play a key role in shaping business decisions – from programs and enablement to pricing, packaging, and product strategy.

In an announcement, WatchGuard CEO Joe Smolarski said the goal is to make it easy for partners to do business and grow with the company.

"Partners are at the center of everything we do, and Allison's appointment reflects our commitment to building a more connected, frictionless partner experience," he explained. "Her track record of creating programs that help partners grow makes her the right leader to help drive our next phase of channel success."

WatchGuard specializes in unified cybersecurity, with its AI-powered Unified Security Platform providing Zero Trust-aligned network, endpoint, identity, and cloud security in a single, integrated solution. The company says it currently serves more than 25,000 MSPs, who work to protect more than 1.5 million customers globally.

Clarke joins the business with more than 20 years of channel leadership experience, most recently serving as vice president of go-to-market and partner programs at SonicWall.

Prior to that, she spent almost a decade at Sophos, where she shaped the cybersecurity vendor's global channel strategy and partner programs, and has previously helped build and scale channel initiatives at McAfee.

Commenting on her appointment, Clarke highlighted WatchGuard's commitment to its partners as a key reason for joining the business.

"Partners want to do business on their terms, through the routes and motions that work best for them," she said. "My focus is on ensuring every interaction with WatchGuard is as simple, consistent, and rewarding as possible.

"I'm especially looking forward to meeting our partner community at IMPACT in Nashville and hearing directly from them about how we can continue improving their experience and helping them grow."