The upcoming Channel-Sec 2026 (23rd – 24th April) will bring together MSPs, MSSPs and IT providers with a programme built around keynote insights, expert speakers and practitioner-led panel debates focused on profitable cyber growth.
Taking place at the Forest of Arden Marriot, the residential event is designed as a high-level forum for the UK channel, combining keynote sessions, panel discussions and boardroom breakouts with structured networking and one-to-one meetings.
Keynotes at the event will feature business and technology mentors, setting the tone for discussions around the evolving threat landscape, AI-driven security and the commercial realities of delivering managed cybersecurity services. The opening keynote, “Securing the Digital Future: How MSPs can lead in a world of risk, regulation, and rising expectations,” will be delivered by Sarah Armstrong-Smith, author and former Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft and Group Head Crisis Management at The London Stock Exchange (pictured). Her session will explore how MSPs can anticipate disruption, navigate tightening regulation and respond to rising customer expectations around risk and resilience.
The panel programme will form the core of the day, beginning with “The Business of Cybersecurity,” which will examine how MSPs and security-focused partners are building profitable, scalable cybersecurity practices in a market shaped by tightening UK regulation, rising customer expectations and sustained cost pressure. Panellists include Kevin Lockhart, Paul Hooper, Jon-Marc Wilkinson and Nicholas Kluger-Langer. The discussion will focus on how automation and AI can support operational efficiency, while human expertise remains central to delivering trust and differentiation.
A second panel, “Cybersecurity Technology, Operations and Regulation,” will address the operational realities of delivering managed cybersecurity services in an increasingly complex threat and compliance landscape. Speakers including Mick Satiar, Jamie Lake, Sherweb and Owen Whitlock will explore how MSPs can move from reactive defence to proactive, resilient operations, while meeting requirements such as UK GDPR and NIS2.
Beyond the panels, the agenda also includes a second keynote from IT Europa Editor Will Garside, which will focus on practical approaches MSPs are using to sell and scale cybersecurity services. Drawing on industry conversations, the session will examine how providers frame security around business risk, use real-world incidents to create urgency, and position cybersecurity as a core, ongoing service.
With a mix of keynote perspectives, peer-led panels and interactive sessions, Channel-Sec continues to position itself as a focused, high-impact event for the UK’s cybersecurity channel, offering both strategic insight and practical guidance for partners looking to scale their security offerings in an increasingly complex market.
There are a limited number of places remaining, and MSPs can apply to attend via the event website at www.Channel-Sec.com
