Recognition highlights Shah’s leadership in scaling partner-driven continuous pentesting and advancing a more collaborative, programmatic approach to offensive security across the channel
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cobalt, the pioneer of penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) and a leading provider of human-led, AI-powered offensive security, proudly announced today that its CEO, Sonali Shah, has been recognized by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, on the prestigious Women of the Channel list for 2026. This marks the second year in a row that Shah has been honored for her vision and leadership within the IT channel ecosystem.
This annual CRN Women of the Channel list celebrates an elite group of women from vendors, distributors, and solution providers whose expertise and strategic vision are driving growth and innovation in the industry. Honorees are selected based on their professional accomplishments and dedication to the channel community.
As CEO of Cobalt, Shah has played a critical role in elevating offensive security from a point-in-time service to a continuous, programmatic discipline aligned to modern development and enterprise risk priorities. Under her leadership, Cobalt has expanded its channel ecosystem, enabling partners to deliver continuous pentesting through a scalable platform that integrates directly into customer workflows. Shah has also driven innovation across the Cobalt Offensive Security Platform, advancing AI-powered capabilities and strengthening partner enablement to help organizations operationalize security testing, improve remediation outcomes, and align security with business objectives.
“It’s a privilege to celebrate the remarkable achievements of these women who are driving meaningful change across the IT channel,” said Jennifer Follett, VP of U.S. Content and Executive Editor, CRN at The Channel Company. “Each honoree has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a commitment to bold, innovative strategies that fuel transformation, growth, and success for their organizations and the broader channel. We’re proud to recognize their impact and look forward to seeing how they continue to shape the future of our industry.”
“Being recognized on the Women of the Channel list is an honor, and a reflection of the broader shift happening across the security industry,” said Shah. “Our partners are at the center of helping organizations move toward continuous, real-world security assurance. Together, we are redefining how security testing is delivered, making it more scalable, more collaborative, and more aligned to how businesses actually operate today.”
The 2026 Women of the Channel will be featured online beginning May 4.
About The Channel Company
The Channel Company (TCC) is the global leader in channel growth for the world’s top technology brands. We accelerate success across strategic channels for tech vendors, solution providers and end users with premier media brands, integrated marketing and event services, strategic consulting, and exclusive market and audience insights. TCC is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. For more information, visit thechannelco.com.
About Cobalt
Cobalt is the pioneer in Pentesting as a Service (PTaaS) and a leader in offensive security services. We are focused on combining talent and technology with speed, scalability, and expertise. Thousands of customers and hundreds of partners rely on the Cobalt Offensive Security Platform, along with 450+ trusted security experts, to find and fix vulnerabilities across their environments. By enabling faster pentest launches, real-time collaboration with pentesters, and seamless integration with remediation workflows, we help organizations identify critical issues and accelerate risk mitigation so they can operate fearlessly and innovate securely.
Cobalt maintains an outstanding NPS of 9, reflecting its dedication to customer satisfaction. Read our reviews on G2 to see why customers love us. More at https://www.cobalt.io/. Follow Cobalt on LinkedIn and X.
Media Contact:
Leslie Kesselring
Kesselring Communication for Cobalt
leslie@kesscomm.com
