Executive Leadership Team

Ken Xie

Founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

A cybersecurity expert and successful entrepreneur, Ken Xie is Founder, Chairman and CEO of Fortinet, the global cybersecurity leader. Fortinet’s broad portfolio of solutions spans network, infrastructure, edge, cloud and IoT, serving approximately 70 per cent of the Fortune 100 as well as Governments around the world. Its security driven networking approach combines security and networking to deliver the most advanced, AI driven protection across the entire attack surface. Fortinet is the third cybersecurity company founded by Ken that has been instrumental in shaping the cybersecurity industry. His second company, Netscreen developed the industry's first ASIC and dedicated hardware systems for high-performance firewalls and VPNs and was acquired by Juniper for $4 billion. Ken earned an M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and B.S. and M.S. degrees in electronic engineering from Tsinghua University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Ken is a member of the board for the Cyber Threat Alliance and the Center for Cybersecurity for the World Economic Forum.

Michael Xie

Founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Michael Xie has dedicated his career to the network security industry. For two decades, he has been relentlessly driving innovations at Fortinet, in areas of technology, products and services.  He was honored with the 2009 Tech Innovator Awards by Everything Channel's CRN. He was also named a 2006 Northern California Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and a Top Technology Innovator by VARBusiness Magazine in 2004. Michael has an M.S. degree in electrical & computer engineering from the University of Manitoba as well as M.S. degrees in automobile engineering from Tsinghua University.

John Whittle

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

John Whittle has over 25 years of experience managing a wide range of corporate development and legal matters for technology companies. Prior to Fortinet, John was vice president, general counsel for Corio, an enterprise application services provider, where he managed the company's legal matters, including an initial public offering and acquisition by IBM. Prior to Corio, John was an attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, representing technology companies in general corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, and initial public offerings. John holds a B.A. degree in history from the University of Virginia and a JD, magna cum laude, from Cornell University. 

Keith Jensen

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Keith Jensen has more than three decades of finance experience and has served as our Chief Financial Officer since May 2018. He served as our Interim Chief Financial Officer since February 2018, and our Chief Accounting Officer since July 2015. Prior to that, Mr. Jensen served as our Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller from May 2014 to July 2015. From November 2012 to May 2014, Mr. Jensen served in various positions at DataDirect Networks, Inc., a data storage provider, including as its Chief Accounting Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. From February 2006 to November 2012, Mr. Jensen served in various positions at Sybase, Inc. (which was acquired by SAP America, Inc. in July 2010), an enterprise software and services company, including as Sybase’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to Sybase, from October 1999 to January 2006, Mr. Jensen served as Chief Financial Officer of Dorado Network Systems Corporation, a provider of software solutions to financial service companies. Mr. Jensen also previously held several positions with Coopers & Lybrand, including audit manager. Mr. Jensen holds a B.S. in Business from California State University, Sacramento.

Patrice Perche

Chief Revenue Officer & EVP Support

Patrice Perche has more than 20 years of experience in the IT security industry. Patrice is responsible for managing Fortinet's international sales and support operations worldwide. He has been with Fortinet since 2004, leveraging his extensive experience in successfully penetrating and growing new territories, recruiting and nurturing a value-add channel partners network, and accelerating the company's footprint in the enterprise market. Prior to joining Fortinet, he was co-founder and CEO of Risc Group, a French-based company focusing on IT Security with pan-European operations. Patrice graduated from Insa Lyon and holds a master’s degree in computer engineering. 

John Maddison

Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Product Strategy

John Maddison has more than 30 years of executive management experience in the Cybersecurity and Telecommunications Industries. He joined Fortinet in 2012 to lead Cloud/SaaS Security development teams and is now the Chief Marketing Officer and EVP Products. He previously held executive leadership positions at Trend Micro focused on Advanced Threat Research and Cloud Delivered Security Services. He started his career with Lucent Technologies Mobile Division, Hewlett Packard Software and Cable & Wireless Global Networking. John holds a B.S. degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Plymouth University, United Kingdom. 

Peter Salkowski

SVP Finance and Investor Relations

Peter Salkowski brings more than 18 years of financial market experience to Fortinet, with a strong track record in equity research and investor relations.  Peter is responsible for crafting and communicating Fortinet’s investment thesis to investors. Prior to Fortinet, Peter was the head of investor relations for GoPro.  Previously, Peter was a managing director at The Blueshirt Group, and the head of investor relations at DreamWorks Animation.  Before becoming an investor relations professional in 2009, Peter was an Institutional Investor-rated equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs. Before working on Wall Street, Peter taught high school-level mathematics. Peter is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where he earned an M.B.A. as well as M.S. and B.S. degrees.

Matthew Pley

Executive Vice President of America Sales

With a career spanning over two decades in sales and leadership experience and 15 years with Fortinet. A visionary and accomplished leader with an extensive background in driving sales strategies and fostering partnerships within the cybersecurity industry. As Executive Vice President at Fortinet, Matt plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's market presence and customer success on a global scale. As he led the US sales team through transformational growth, he embraces an authentic leadership style focused on building a high-performing team and culture that thrives on customer obsession, innovation, and consummate value to clients and career advancement for employees. He brings a background in systems engineering, operations, and sales to Fortinet, with proven success and exceptional results.

Matt serves as an advisory member of Fortinet’s Strategic Advisory Council, working with the council to guide C-Level executives and their organizations through the evolving security challenges and technology needs to address them by tailoring innovative offerings that address evolving client needs and industry trends. Before joining Fortinet, he held positions at Check Point Software, Cable & Wireless, Exodus, and Realtor.com.

Joe Sarno

Executive Vice President of International Sales

Joe Sarno, with an impressive tenure approaching nearly two decades, currently serves as the Executive Vice President for International Sales at Fortinet. Joe brings over 30 years of cybersecurity expertise and is recognized for steering brand growth and operational excellence. Joe also spearheads the operational technology (OT) practice at Fortinet, delivering cybersecurity solutions to critical infrastructures and production plants worldwide. Prior to his tenure at Fortinet, Joe worked at Siemens for 12 years where he was focused on networking and security solutions with pan-European responsibility. Before joining Siemens, he also served as a sales executive at Econocom, one of Europe’s leading technology asset management and financing groups. Beyond his corporate endeavors, Joe contributes to the academic sector as a member of the Board of Trustees at Franklin University Switzerland, reflecting his commitment to fostering collaboration between the private and public sectors and staying attuned to industry trends. Joe holds a BSc (Hons) degree in computer science and psychology from Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.

Robert May

Executive Vice President, Technology and Product Management

Robert May has more than 25 years of experience in the networking and security industries. Since joining Fortinet in early 2004, Robert has been responsible for overseeing the product roadmap and engineering execution. Leveraging years of experience and direct engagement with global customers, Robert has driven the successful launch of many new product lines and cloud-based services in Fortinet’s portfolio. Prior to joining Fortinet, he held senior engineering and product positions at Nortel Networks, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and IP Infusion, Inc. Robert holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Ana Pease

Vice President, Talent Management and Operations

Ana Pease is responsible for aligning Fortinet’s global business growth with strategic HR programs and initiatives.  An industry veteran, Ana has more than 18 years of global leadership experience working for both private and public multinational companies. Prior to Fortinet Ana held leadership positions at Gigamon, Sigma Designs and Cypress Semiconductor. Ana holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing and Industrial Psychology from San Jose State University.

Chris Perna

Vice President, Talent Acquisition

Chris is responsible for driving Fortinet’s staffing and recruitment to support Fortinet’s long-term growth strategy and business. Chris brings more than 20 years of staffing and recruitment experience to Fortinet. Chris has a proven track record of selecting and hiring the best talent at all levels including executive roles.  Prior to joining Fortinet, Chris was the founder and president of a successful recruitment agency for more than 15 years, serving technology clients ranging from small startups to Fortune 100 corporations.