Company news · 2 MIN READ · BROOKE MCCLARY · FEB 2, 2026 · TAGS: Announcement / Expletives
TL;DR
- Three outstanding Expel channel leaders—Alex Glass, Derek Hart, and Kaitlin Waite—are honored in CRN’s 2026 Channel Chiefs list.
- These leaders exemplify Expel’s partner-first approach and have driven significant growth across the channel organization.
- Expel’s channel team continues to expand strategic partnerships that deliver measurable security outcomes for customers.
Building a world-class channel program isn’t about ticking boxes or chasing transactions. It’s about fostering real relationships rooted in trust and transparency. At Expel, we know we can’t deliver top-tier security outcomes alone. We need our partners.
That’s why we’re incredibly proud to announce that three of our own have been named to CRN’s 2026 Channel Chiefs list: Alex Glass, VP, Global Channel Sales and Alliances; Derek Hart, Senior Director, Partner Sales; and Kaitlin Waite, Director, Global Field and Partner Marketing.
This annual list recognizes people who are driving strategy and setting the channel agenda for their organizations. Here is a look at the Expletives making it happen.
Meet our Channel Chiefs
Alex Glass: Building strategic ecosystems
Alex joined Expel with over 18 years of channel experience and a track record of leading partner organizations to successful outcomes at companies like Rapid7, Duo Security, and Tessian. His philosophy is straightforward: clarity creates confidence, and confidence drives performance.
He’s turned our channel into a growth engine by launching co-sell motions with AWS and scaling our Incident Response (IR) ecosystem. He’s all about stripping away complexity so partners can actually do their jobs.
“Transparency in company strategy related to the channel ecosystem goes a long way in building trust with your partners. My goal for Expel is to prioritize partnerships that share our customer obsession, solving their real-world challenges with unique and varied solutions, ultimately driving market-leading outcomes for all parties.”
Derek Hart: Driving measurable results
Derek brings more than a decade of sales leadership experience to his role as Senior Director of Americas Partner Sales at Expel. He views partnership as the “ultimate force multiplier,” and his track record proves it. He’s focused on making our ecosystem predictable and profitable, ensuring that if our partners have the right tools, everyone wins.
“I want to create a predictable, profitable, and easy-to-navigate ecosystem. If we equip our partners with the right tools, listen to their feedback, and relentlessly focus on their success, our own success is a natural and guaranteed outcome.”
Kaitlin Waite: Multiplying the message
Kaitlin has spent 14+ years working across distribution, vendors, channels, and alliances—giving her a unique ability to bridge the gap between vendors and partners. As Director of Global Field and Partner Marketing, she’s grown our partner marketing team to ensure every dollar spent helps build a collective brand. As she puts it, the more we do through partners, the more our message is multiplied in the market.
“No company is successful without some type of partnership motion. The more you can do with and through partners, the more your message is multiplied within the market. Building a good reputation with your partners can also result in a good reputation with customers.”
Why this matters
These recognitions aren’t just trophies for the shelf. They reflect the work we’re doing to help security teams protect their organizations. By focusing on “partner-first” strategies, we’ve been able to:
- Expand the IR ecosystem to record growth, empowering our partners to offer more comprehensive security solutions with better outcomes.
- Launch technology alliance go-to-market motions, unlocking AWS Marketplace transactability and cross-ecosystem pipeline creation.
- Deliver program enhancements that lead to consistent, predictable results for our partners.
Channel success isn’t about vendor-partner dynamics. It’s about creating an ecosystem where everyone wins—vendors, partners, and most importantly, customers. These leaders understand this intrinsically. They show up every day focused on making it easier for partners to succeed, which in turn helps security teams protect their organizations from real threats.
Congratulations to Alex, Derek, and Kaitlin on this well-deserved recognition. And if you’re interested in learning more about how we work with partners, check out the Expel Partner Program.
