Entering the UK through distribution? Your first five hires decide everything

Two security vendors have made the same move within a few weeks of each other. Agentic security operations vendor Tenex.AI has appointed Infinigate Group as its distributor for the UK and Ireland, with plans to extend across EMEA. Its head of EMEA, Piers Morgan, told MicroScope the business is "100% behind the channel", selling through MSPs, MSSPs and VARs. MicroScope reports the business is ramping up in EMEA and getting feet on the ground. Earlier in August, Rapid7 extended its European relationship with Exclusive Networks, making it Rapid7's first UK and Ireland distributor, with VP of global channels Suzanne Swanson describing the UK to MicroScope as "one of our strongest markets in terms of growth across EMEA".

Tenex.AI is only 18 months old. Rapid7 is well established. But both face the same question once the distribution contract is signed: who is going to make it work?

What it means for talent

A distributor is a multiplier, not a substitute

Distribution gives a vendor reach, logistics, credit and access to hundreds of partners. What it doesn't provide is focus. A distributor carries many vendors, and the ones that get attention are the ones with their own people actively recruiting, enabling and supporting partners. Without a small, capable UK team, a new vendor becomes one more line on a price list.

The first five hires

For most vendors entering the UK through two-tier distribution, the first team looks something like this:

1. A UK channel lead who already has relationships with the right distributor and the partners it serves. This hire sets the tone and attracts everyone else.
2. A channel or systems engineer who can win the trust of partners' technical teams. In security especially, partners won't sell what their engineers don't believe in.
3. A partner or MSSP alliance manager for vendors selling through MSPs and MSSPs, whose buying and delivery models differ from traditional resellers.
4. A distribution manager who works inside the distributor relationship day to day: enablement, promotions, pipeline and forecasting.
5. Partner marketing, often part-time or shared at first, to turn distributor reach into campaigns that generate demand.

The profile that matters most is the one that's hardest to find: people who have built a vendor's channel from nothing before. Scaling an established channel is a different skill.

The distributor needs people too

Signing a new vendor also creates hiring inside the distributor. Each significant new line typically needs a dedicated vendor or business development manager, and technical pre-sales support. Rapid7's focus on partner technical and professional services enablement is a reminder that distributors increasingly compete on expertise.

What to do now

Hire your channel lead before, or alongside, the distribution deal. They should help choose the distributor and shape the partner recruitment plan, not inherit both.

Pay for relationships, not just experience. Ask candidates which partners would take their call this week, and check.

Build technical credibility early. One strong channel engineer is often worth more in the first year than a second salesperson.

If you're a distributor adding vendors: plan the people you need to support each new line, or the vendors you've worked hard to win will leave for someone who does.

Launching or growing in the UK? PropRec helps vendors build their first channel teams in the UK, EMEA and USA. See how we work with vendors or book a call.