Fortinet®, the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, has announced the appointment of Joe Sarno as Executive Vice-President (EVP) of International Sales. In the role, Joe will oversee Fortinet’s International Sales business and join Fortinet‘s Executive Leadership team, which brings together decades of expertise to deliver industry-leading solutions to over half a million customers.
Joe Sarno, Executive Vice-President, International Sales at Fortinet
“The cybersecurity landscape is changing rapidly, with threats escalating every day. Across the geopolitical, technological, and societal landscapes, I believe we are witnessing a call for a new era of cybersecurity, and a stronger move towards convergence and consolidation.
The first era of security was protecting the connection, the second era was protecting the application, and now the third era will protect the data and safety of human lives. In my enhanced role, I look forward to executing our mission to protect people, data, and devices everywhere, while enabling economic growth, trust, and stability in the modern digital society.”
Joe has an impressive tenure at Fortinet approaching nearly two decades, with over 30 years of cybersecurity industry experience. Holding a pivotal role in steering brand growth and operational excellence, Joe was most recently Senior Vice President for the International Emerging region and APJ, where he implemented the growth strategy for over 120 countries.
Further supporting strategic focus on key markets
As EVP of International Sales, Joe will be responsible for leading a highly qualified team of sales representatives and engineers across the EMEA & APJ regions, with a key focus on driving forward Fortinet’s three major strategic enterprise pillars: Secure Networking, Unified SASE, and AI-driven Security Operations.
Fortinet’s portfolio of integrated and organically developed products and services has a distinct competitive advantage in these three critical markets, making technology the cornerstone of this strategic shift. Joe will be integral in delivering this growth strategy to ensure improved customer engagement and enhanced market penetration.
Aligning with its growth plans, earlier this year Fortinet announced its intention to acquire Lacework, the data-driven cloud security company. By integrating Lacework’s leading AI-powered cloud security platform, Fortinet will enhance its Security Fabric platform by adding a AI-powered cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP).
In addition to building strong relationships with customers, partners, and government officials, Joe will continue to spearhead the Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy for Fortinet’s Operational Technology & Critical Infrastructure business, delivering cybersecurity solutions to critical infrastructures and production plants worldwide.
Delivering OT-aware security capabilities across its three strategic pillars is a key tenant of Fortinet’s growth strategy, with the company providing OT-specific InfoSec tools, threat intelligence, and integration with third-party OT solutions to reduce risk and effectively secure OT and critical environments. Fortinet has been at the leading edge of OT security investment and will continue to prioritise the protection of OT critical infrastructures, data, and most importantly human lives across key industries, such as pharma, manufacturing, utilities, energy and transportation.
