Forcepoint unveils impressive channel recruits across APAC and ANZ
Cybersecurity firm Forcepoint has named four new key appointments to its leadership team as it looks to strengthen its channel, strategy and sales lineup across the Asia Pacific and Australian New Zealand regions.
Bjorn Engelhardt has joined the organisation as vice president of Asia Pacific sales. Hi role will be critical in achieving Forcepoint's mission to be a trusted partner to enterprises and government agencies seeking a modern security-as-a-service model.
Based out of Forcepoint's Singapore office, he will report to Forcepoint chief revenue officer Kevin Isaac, and will take on the responsibility for accelerating sales through growth and expansion across the APAC market.
Engelhardt brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in cybersecurity and application software to Forcepoint. Most recently, he was senior vice president of Asia Pacific and Japan at Symantec where he oversaw Symantec Enterprise transition to Broadcom. Previous roles include senior leadership roles at Riverbed, Actifio and Citrix Systems.
Klasie Holtzhausen has been named the new senior director of sales for Australia and New Zealand. Holtzhausen will lead the growth strategy for the ForcePoint's operations across ANZ, helping local enterprises manage the security risks posed by digital transformation by developing security strategies with users and data at their heart. He is based in Forcepoint's Sydney office and will report to Engelhardt.
Holtzhausen brings over 20 years of sales and channel leadership experience in the IT industry, having previously held senior roles at Symantec, IBM, Dell Software and CA Technologies. Prior to joining Forcepoint, Holtzhausen was senior director, channels and commercial, ANZ at Symantec.
Talib Yousry is the new senior director of channels and alliances for Asia Pacific, as is tasked with growing Forcepoint's channel business and drive value for its partners in the APAC region.
Yousry will drive Forcepoint's go-to-market strategy for partners, delivering greater business outcomes for enterprises through the company's broad portfolio of cloud-first, behaviour-based security products. He will also focus on the growth of the channel business, driving value for the company's partners in the region. Yousry is based in Forcepoint's Singapore office and will report to Oni Chakravartti, vice president, global channel sales.
he joins Forcepoint from Pulse Secure, where he was director of channels, Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), responsible for managing the company's channel and distribution network of over 17 distributors and 400 resellers across APAC. He has 20 years of experience in sales and partner leadership roles in technology sector in APAC covering telecommunications and cybersecurity including roles at Telstra BT, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Cable - Wireless.
Nick Savvides has joined as senior director of strategic business for APAC. His remit includes growing the Forcepoint strategic business across the APAC region and working with Forcepoint's key customers and partners to deliver innovative and transformational security projects, taking a human-centric approach. He is based in Forcepoint's Sydney office and reports to Engelhardt.
Savvides has a proven track record in delivering thought leadership and over-the-horizon guidance to CISOs, industry and analysts. Prior to joining Forcepoint, he spent 14 years at Symantec, most recently as chief technology officer for the APAC region. In this role, Savvides was responsible for the organisations portfolio strategy and innovation roadmap in APAC. He brings over 20 years of industry experience and previously worked for VeriSign and Melbourne University in various technology-related roles.
"The refreshed leadership team for the APAC region will bring new strength and to what is already a highly talented group of cybersecurity professionals," says Bjorn Engelhardt.
"I'm confident that this leadership team will prove immensely helpful in scaling our business in the APAC region, and meet the growing demand for human-centric security solutions to enable our customers to derive the benefits of digital transformation," he says.
"As companies increasingly turn to cloud technologies and a flexible workforce to provide a path to the future, they face continuous challenge of protecting their users and data everywhere," adds Kevin Isaac, CRO, Forcepoint.
"Forcepoint is committed to supporting customers throughout their digital transformation journeys. With this regional leadership group, we are demonstrating our continued investment to creating a unique behaviour-based cloud security platform, allowing our customers to accelerate their business growth and meet their desired business outcomes," he says.
