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.

John Maddison

Chief Marketing Officer

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. 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. 

Christiane Ohlgart

Chief Accounting Officer

Christiane Ohlgart has more than three decades of finance and accounting experience at software and technology companies. Most recently, Ms. Ohlgart served as Chief Financial Officer at IGEL Technology, a secure access operating system developer. Prior to IGEL, she served as VP Finance at Fortinet. Ms. Ohlgart also previously served as SVP Finance and Treasurer at Syapse, Inc., a digital health company, and as VP Finance of Intermedia.net, Inc., a cloud-based communication platform. Before that, Ms. Ohlgart worked at SAP, an enterprise software and services company, for 18 years, in various roles in Germany and the U.S. The last position held there was Chief Financial Officer at SAP SuccessFactors, a global provider of cloud-based human experience management software. Ms. Ohlgart holds a master’s degree in computer science and business administration from the Technical University of Karlsruhe.

Carl Windsor

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Carl Windsor has helped drive product security and strategy at Fortinet for over 18 years. He has held roles in the CTO office, system engineering, sales, and product management, leading SD-WAN and SASE product strategy and has also been instrumental in driving product security. As CISO, he is responsible for maintaining the enterprise vision and strategy for security compliance and governance, and the program to ensure information assets and technologies are adequately protected. Prior to working at Fortinet, Carl was Chief Technical Architect responsible for managed security service strategy with a focus on networking and security services at European Datacenter company, TeleCity (now Equinix). Carl holds a Ph.D. in computational chemistry and quantum mechanics from the University of Manchester and a B.S. in computational chemistry from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. 

Matthew Pley

Executive Vice President, America Sales

Matt Pley plays a pivotal role in shaping Fortinet’s market presence and customer success on a global scale. With a career spanning over two decades in sales and leadership experience including 15 years with Fortinet, Matt is an accomplished leader with an extensive background in driving sales strategies and fostering partnerships within the cybersecurity industry. In addition, he brings experience in systems engineering, operations, and sales, with proven success and exceptional results.

As an advisory member of Fortinet’s Strategic Advisory Council, Matt guides C-level executives and their organizations through today’s evolving security challenges and the technology required to address them. Before joining Fortinet, he held positions at Check Point Software, Cable & Wireless, Exodus, and Realtor.com.

Joe Sarno

Executive Vice President, 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.

Trevor Pagliara

Executive Vice President, Sales

Trevor Pagliara is a proven sales leader and trusted C-level advisor with over 20 years of experience driving rapid revenue growth in SaaS, security, and enterprise software industries. Renowned for building high-performance sales teams, Trevor brings a deep understanding of large accounts, channel strategies, and SMB selling. With a strong commitment to nurturing a collaborative culture, Trevor excels in forging lasting customer relationships and taking sales organizations to new heights. His entrepreneurial spirit and passion for driving sales success have made him a key contributor at leading companies, including Parametric Technology, EMC, FireEye, and Okta. Trevor holds a B.A. in finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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.

Jaime Romero

Executive Vice President, Marketing

Jaime Romero is a seasoned marketing executive with over two decades of expertise in brand development, demand generation, and digital strategy. In his role at Fortinet, Jaime leads global brand initiatives, campaigns, and marketing operations, driving the company's growth and market presence. Prior to Fortinet, Jaime held senior marketing leadership roles at prominent martech companies, where he led brand and demand generation programs for major technology clients, including Google, Microsoft, and Dell. At MRP (PharosIQ), Jaime pioneered the programmatic advertising and account-based marketing (ABM) business, establishing it as a key growth area.

With a proven track record in demand generation, brand strategy, and operations, Jaime has successfully built and led high-performing teams, implemented impactful marketing strategies, and significantly enhanced lead generation across organizations. His strategic vision and leadership have consistently delivered strong growth and measurable success. Jaime holds an MBA and a B.S. in marketing from Manhattan College. 

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 B.S. 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.