About
Craig Patterson is the SVP of Global Channels & Marketing at Exabeam, a five-time CRN Channel Chief, and a keynote speaker on AI security, partner ecosystems and high-performance culture.
Biography
Craig Patterson is the SVP of Global Channels & Marketing at Exabeam, where he leads the company's worldwide partner ecosystem and its marketing organization: brand, messaging, demand generation, communications, field marketing and account development. He took on the expanded role in September 2026, continues to serve as Exabeam's Global Channel Chief, and is a member of the executive leadership team. He owns demand for the company end to end, running partners, marketing and account development as one engine with one pipeline model, so partner considerations are built into brand, messaging and demand generation from the outset rather than treated as a separate motion. As he puts it: “New categories aren't built through a vendor's website alone. Customers adopt them when someone they trust can explain why they matter, and in security that trusted voice is often a partner.” His focus is taking Exabeam Agent Behavior Analytics (ABA) to market. ABA learns how AI agents normally behave and flags when one acts outside that pattern.
Craig joined Exabeam in January 2025 as Global Channel Chief. He merged the Exabeam and LogRhythm partner programs, then launched the Exabeam APEX Partner Program in July 2025 for more than 3,000 partners. The channel became Exabeam's highest-volume source of sales, with channel new-logo pipeline at 138% of target and expansion bookings at 125% of plan in the first half of 2026. APEX earned a 5-Star rating in the CRN Partner Program Guide, and in CRN's 2026 Annual Report Card Exabeam ranked No. 1 overall in AI Security, with partners rating it 98.3 out of 100 for ease of doing business. In 2026 Exabeam also won Google Cloud Partner of the Year for Security: Analytics & Operations.
Before Exabeam, Craig spent 2021 to 2024 at Aryaka Networks. He joined as Global Channel Chief, rebuilt the channel and launched the Aryaka Accelerate Global Partner Program; selling partners grew about 60% in a year. In 2022 he was promoted to SVP of Global Sales, leading sales across direct and channel. Partners came to account for 85% of the business, and Aryaka closed the largest deal in its history through its partner ecosystem. From 2024 to 2025 he also served as a board advisor to Cyber Sainik, a cybersecurity platform.
From 2006 to 2021 he held channel leadership roles at Level 3, CenturyLink and Lumen. He helped build Level 3's first indirect program to more than $500 million, rose from Regional Sales Director to VP of Indirect Sales, extended CenturyLink's partner program to EMEA, and became West Division VP of Lumen's indirect channel, leading more than $1 billion in quota-carrying indirect revenue with full P&L accountability. Earlier, he was the top channel manager at ICG Communications, winning President's Club in 2005 and 2006, after starting his career in AT&T's College Hire Sales Center and field sales.
Craig is a five-time CRN Channel Chief (2022–2026), was named to CRN's Top 100 Executives and 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs in 2026, and was Channel Futures' 2023 Channel Influencer of the Year. He holds an M.S. in Information and Communication Sciences from Ball State University. He lives in Littleton, Colorado, in the Denver area.
Quick facts
Career
“If you're not uncomfortable, you've become complacent, and you're really not moving forward in life.”
Leadership & culture
Craig treats culture as the system that makes growth repeatable. Standards are clear, accountability comes without fear, and the work is measured by impact, not activity. Many leaders have followed him from company to company.
“Compensation draws people in, but culture and growth and leadership are ultimately what determine whether they stay and perform.”
Craig knows what it means to invest in his people, and his work pays off when you observe the personal and professional growth in the individuals that ultimately comprise his team.
With Craig, the strategy and vision are clear, morale and culture are positive, and his teams perform to their stretch goals while he celebrates every milestone.
He is a fearless, excellent communicator and has solid relationship-building skills; this helped us to establish and maintain strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including channel partners, customers, and industry leaders.
Craig mentors for judgment, ownership and leadership presence. Away from work he trains in Muay Thai and is raising twins with his wife in Colorado.
Recognition
Channel Futures · February 2023
Channel Futures named Craig one of its two Channel Influencers of the Year, alongside Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola, and put them on the cover of its February 2023 issue. The cover story, "Creating a New Kind of Leadership," traces his path from AT&T's College Hire Sales Center to rebuilding Aryaka's channel.
Cover © Informa Tech / Channel Futures.