The 11 Coolest Endpoint Security CEOs of 2019

There is never a dull moment in the life of a CEO. Their leadership defines the company, from its market strategies to its values to its leadership team. The CEO guides the company to see its goals fulfilled—which is essential for a market as demanding as endpoint security. 

Indeed, each CEO brings their own unique blend of experience and expertise to their endpoint security companies. Often they influence it as well through their product direction and development. Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of the 11 Coolest Endpoint Security CEOs of 2019. We list them below in alphabetical order by company.  

The 11 Coolest Endpoint Security CEOs of 2019

Patrick Morley, Carbon Black

Starting our list of the coolest endpoint security CEOs, Patrick Morley leads Carbon Black as President and Chief Executive Officer; in fact, he’s served in the role since 2007. Under his leadership, Carbon Black merged with Bit9 in 2014. Previously, Mr. Morley served as President and CEO of Imprivata Corporation and as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Corel. Also, he held senior management positions at Macromedia, Allaire, Rational Software, and SQA. Mr. Morley earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Providence College.

George Kurtz, CrowdStrike

George Kurtz leads CrowdStrike as one of the coolest endpoint security CEOs and as its Co-Founder. Mr. Kurtz is a recognized and respected cybersecurity expert, and his expertise guides CrowdStrike’s endpoint protection and threat intelligence services. Prior to founding CrowdStrike, he served as Worldwide Chief Technology Officer, GM, and SVP of Enterprise at McAfee. Additionally, Mr. Kurtz started Foundstone in 1999 and led it as CEO before its acquisition by McAfee. He has a B.S. in Accounting from Seton Hall University. 

Jaspreet Singh, Druva

Continuing our list of coolest endpoint security CEOs of 2019, Jaspreet Singh leads Druva as its CEO. Additionally, he is also the Founder of Druva Founder and CEO; in fact, Mr. Singh’s product vision led directly to the creation of Druva’s cloud-native Data Management-as-a-Service solutions. Prior to starting Druva, Mr. Singh held foundational roles at Veritas and Ensim Corp. Additionally, he holds multiple patents and has a B.S. in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.

Steve Daly, Ivanti

Steve Daly serves as CEO and Chairman of the Board for Ivanti. Thus Mr. Daly directs Ivanti’s business strategies, innovations, and product direction. Ivanti first appeared in the endpoint security marketplace in 2017 from the merger of LANDESK and HEAT Software. Previously, Mr. Daly served as SVP of Corporate Strategy for Avocent Corporation and as President and CEO of Soronti Inc. Additionally, he served in marketing and finance positions at Intel. Mr. Daly holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Brigham Young University.

William (Bill) Wagner, LogMeIn

William (Bill) Wagner was appointed CEO of LogMeIn in 2015. Since then, he has led its market strategy and day-to-day operations in the fraught cybersecurity marketplace. Mr. Wagner joined LogMeIn in 2013 as its first-ever COO. Additionally, he became President and joined LogMeIn’s Board of Directors in 2015. Previously, he served as COO at Vocus and CMO at Fiberlink and began his career at AT&T. He holds a B.A. in History from Lafayette College and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of Business.

Chris Young, McAfee

Chris Young not only leads McAfee as CEO, but he also led the initiative to spin McAfee out from Intel. Additionally, Mr. Young serves as a member of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), advising the government on security. He also helped establish the Cyber Threat Alliance and serves on its board. Previously, Mr. Young led cybersecurity efforts at Cisco, RSA, and AOL and co-founded Cyveillance. Mr. Young holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University. Also, he earned an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.

Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks

Nikesh Arora joined as Chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks in 2018. Before joining Palo Alto Networks, Mr. Arora served as President and COO of SoftBank Group Corp. Additionally, he served in various positions at Google, including CBO, and as CMO of the T-Mobile International Division of Deutsche Telekom AG. Mr. Arora holds an M.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University, an M.S. in Finance from Boston College and a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Institute of Technology at Banaras Hindu University. 

Rohit Ghai, RSA

Another of our coolest endpoint security CEOs of 2019, Rohit Ghai is President of RSA. Therefore, he leads all aspects of the business via strategic direction and operational execution. Most recently. Mr. Ghai served as President of Dell EMC’s Enterprise Content Division (ECD). Additionally, he previously worked at Symantec, Computer Associates, and CA India. Mr. Ghai holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee. 

Kris Hagerman, Sophos

Kris Hagerman joined Sophos in 2012 as CEO. As such, he leads Sophos’ strategic direction and business operations. Before joining Sophos, Mr. Hagerman served as CEO of Corel Corporation, founder and CEO of BigBook, and CEO of Affinia. Additionally, he’s also held leadership positions at Symantec, GM, and Veritas Software. Mr. Hagerman has a Bachelor’s Degree in Russian and Economics from Dartmouth College. He also has a Master’s in International Relations from Cambridge University, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Bill Conner, SonicWall

Bill Conner serves as President and CEO of SonicWall, a provider of next-generation firewalls and network security solutions. Moreover, Francisco Partners and Elliott Management selected Mr. Conner to launch SonicWall as an independent company from Dell in 2016. Previously, Mr. Conner served as President and CEO of Silent Circle and President and CEO of Entrust. Mr. Conner graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Also, he earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Eva Chen, Trend Micro

Even before becoming one of the coolest endpoint security CEOs of 2019, Eva Chen has led Trend Micro’s direction and product vision. In fact, Ms. Chen has been a part of Trend Micro since its founding in 1988. She served as Executive Vice President from 1988-1996 and CTO from 1996-2004. Ms.Chen holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration as well as a Master’s Degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas. Additionally,  she earned a degree in philosophy from Chen Chi University in Taipei. 

Those are our picks for 2019! To learn more about these endpoint protection platforms and many others, be sure to check out our Endpoint Security Buyer’s Guide! We dive into the top capabilities of the major endpoint security solutions and provide our Bottom Line!