Michelle Hodges Named a 2026 ForzaDash MSPInfluencer Woman of the Channel
Michelle Hodges, Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances at Barracuda, has been named a winner of the 2026 ForzaDash MSPInfluencer Women of the MSP Channel Awards.
The recognition honors her work modernizing the Barracuda partner experience, strengthening collaboration with MSPs, and creating greater visibility and opportunity for women throughout the channel.
With more than a decade of channel experience, Hodges leads through empathy, accountability, and inclusion. Her approach begins with listening to partners, identifying operational friction, and translating feedback into changes that create measurable value.
Modernizing the Partner Experience
Over the past year, Hodges has helped strengthen Barracuda’s partner-first, partner-only model as MSP and hybrid technology environments continue to evolve.
She led the introduction of a new partner relationship management platform, enhanced co-selling motions, expanded partner certifications and badges, and updated the company’s partner value agreement to address growing cloud and artificial intelligence priorities.
These initiatives are designed to improve partner alignment, engagement, profitability, and customer value.
Hodges has also established stronger feedback-and-action processes through Partner Advisory Boards, strategic engagements, roundtables, and working sessions. These programs give MSPs a direct voice in Barracuda’s direction and create accountability around converting their recommendations into tangible outcomes.
Her work advancing the BarracudaONE platform supports another important goal: helping MSPs simplify security operations, improve efficiency, strengthen protection, and identify new recurring-revenue opportunities.
Creating Space for Women in the Channel
Hodges’ leadership extends beyond business programs and partner processes. She has prioritized representation, mentorship, caregiver advocacy, and allyship across the channel community.
Her initiatives include global women’s roundtables and women’s breakfasts at industry events such as ChannelCon and Barracuda Discover. These gatherings create opportunities for participants to develop relationships, share experiences, and elevate diverse perspectives.
Hodges also uses her visibility as a channel executive to mentor others and demonstrate that effective leadership includes building opportunities for the people around you.
The 2026 MSPInfluencer Women of the MSP Channel Award recognizes women whose leadership, achievements, and community contributions are creating meaningful industry impact.
Hodges’ recognition reflects her ability to combine partner transformation with human-centered leadership. By listening carefully, acting on feedback, reducing friction, and cultivating inclusion, she is helping Barracuda and its MSP partners prepare for a channel increasingly shaped by cybersecurity, cloud services, and AI.
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