Netskope, Optiv Alum Named ArmorCode Channel Leader

ArmorCode has hired Jeff Skeldon, previously with Netskope, as the application security posture management (ASPM) provider's first global channel leader.

Skeldon was with Netskope for nearly six years and was vice president of sales. He was part of the leadership team that grew Netskope from $50 million to $500 million in annual revenue. Before that, he spent 12 years with Optiv where he held various leadership positions, including vice president of sales for the West.

ArmorCode's Jeff Skeldon

In all, he has more than 20 years of experience in designing and executing sales strategies for cybersecurity and networking companies.

In his new role, Skeldon will focus on customer growth, drive channel sales and build a global selling force focused on application, infrastructure and cloud security.

“ArmorCode has a good approach to the channel today,” he said. “Our primary goal is to build out the team to support the brand and efforts in today’s market. It takes everyone at ArmorCode to ensure partners and customers understand the strong impact we deliver to both technical and business stakeholders. Sales, marketing, engineering product management, everyone is a vital part of a consistent channel strategy. Trust is the most important. The channel starts and stops there. For any relationship (business or personal) in life to be successful, reciprocation is also important. Reciprocation doesn’t just mean exchanging opportunities, it means building a trusting relationship that mutually benefits each other. Good communication and transparency are also part of this. We must ensure trust and reciprocation are fundamental cornerstones of our program.”

Related:ArmorCode Closes $40 Million Series B Funding Round

New ArmorCode Channel Leader’s Priorities

As someone who previously worked on the vendor side, Skeldon said these experiences have “provided me with a good historical perspective of weaker and stronger programs.”

“I have experience from startup to scale on the VAR/integrator side and have learned by experience what is important to all parties involved in delivering customer value,” he said. “Over time, I’ve learned to value the team, their experiences and perspectives. It takes a village, and we have a great one here at ArmorCode.”

Skeldon said at the top of his to-do list is “driving both a top-down and bottoms-up aligned strategy.”

“The channel appreciates predictability and consistency, along with a vendor that understands their business and isn’t just focused on selling a product,” he said. “We are white noise to the channel if we do not understand what matters to them, how they drive value and grow revenue from our customer base.”

Skeldon’s goal is to bring brand awareness and sales enablement to ArmorCode’s channel. 

“There’s a lot to build, and it’s not always easy to sort out all the buzzwords and market vendors looking to tie themselves to,” he said. “Are we supplying information or communicating value? As previously stated, the channel is often in a position of trust, advising their customers. It’s easy to focus on our own agendas, but I want to focus on what’s important to our partners and customers who trust us, and how we can help them to drive success and value with their client base.”
Last December, ArmorCode closed a preemptive $40 million Series B funding round to fuel growth, expansion and new capabilities development.