Phoenix consultant is UK's first female VCF Knight

Leaha Torres, an IT Technical Consultant at Phoenix Software, has earned the Broadcom VCF Knight - NSX certification. She is the first woman in the UK to gain the accreditation and, at 25, one of the youngest to do so.

The certification sits within Broadcom's Knight programme for partner professionals working with VMware Cloud Foundation and related technologies. The NSX specialism covers networking and security in VMware environments.

Broadcom positions the Knight programme as its top accreditation for partner technical staff. It focuses on architecture, implementation and support skills across technologies including VMware Cloud Foundation and NSX, and is used to identify a small pool of specialists within the partner channel.

For Phoenix Software, the accreditation adds another credential in a market where customers often rely on partners for design and deployment work. The York-based company is a VMware by Broadcom partner in the UK and also provides software licensing, hardware, software asset management and managed IT services.

Career progression

Torres joined Phoenix in October 2022 on the service desk. She progressed from first- and second-line support to third-line support, focusing on infrastructure and VMware technologies, and was appointed to a consultant role in November 2024.

According to Phoenix, she achieved VMware Certified Professional status the year before her promotion. The Broadcom Knight accreditation adds a partner-focused designation alongside that vendor certification pathway.

Torres said she treats certifications as a route to learning rather than as status markers.

"Whenever I spot something interesting - a certification, a programme, a new challenge - I go for it. I've kind of turned into a collector of technical badges. But for me, they're less about status and more about unlocking new learning paths and challenges. Certifications open doors, but there is no substitute for practical experimentation. This is what makes you actually good at what you do," said Leaha Torres, IT Technical Consultant, Phoenix Software.

Outside work, Torres runs a personal technical blog that attracts more than 6,000 readers a month. It features technical guides and documentation on topics including VMware and Veeam, with a focus on networking and storage.

She also built a four-server Dell VRTX home lab for testing and experimentation. Phoenix said this work has informed technical guides it has used with customers.

Partner market

The Broadcom Knight programme is part of Broadcom's approach to partner enablement following its acquisition of VMware. The partner ecosystem remains central for many VMware deployments, particularly in large environments spanning compute, storage, networking and security.

NSX remains a key product line within VMware Cloud Foundation deployments. Many customers use it for software-defined networking and micro-segmentation. These projects typically involve design decisions around network topology, policy and integration with existing infrastructure.

Phoenix said Torres' accreditation strengthens its position in VMware by Broadcom services. The company operates in a competitive UK market where partners differentiate through vendor status, specialist skills and customer references.

Further accreditations

Torres has also received vExpert status, a community-focused recognition linked to VMware. The programme recognises contributions such as knowledge sharing and advocacy within the VMware ecosystem.

She has also joined the Veeam Vanguards community, which Veeam describes as a top-level influencer group of recognised technical experts across multiple fields.

Phoenix Managing Director Clare Metcalfe linked the achievement to wider talent development inside the business.

"Leaha epitomises everything that makes #TeamPhoenix what it is. A real team player, forever curious, and with an infectious enthusiasm - chunks of enthusiasm no less! - that she lifts up everyone in her team. Leaha is a true example of the spirit that makes Phoenix such a special place to work," said Clare Metcalfe, Managing Director, Phoenix Software.

Torres' next focus is further Knight specialisms. Phoenix said she is studying for an Operations pathway and is interested in a Kubernetes-related specialism.