Global cybersecurity company Forcepoint has announced three new appointments in strategy, sales and channel leadership for Asia Pacific (APAC). They are Bjorn Engelhardt, who has joined as vice president of APAC sales; Talib Yousry is the new senior director of channels and alliances for APAC; and Nick Savvides has joined as senior director of strategic business for APAC.
2020 will see Forcepoint extend its leadership in human-centric security as it delivers on its mission to be a trusted partner to enterprises and government agencies seeking a modern security-as-a-service model. Engelhardt’s role is critical in achieving this mission, as he takes on responsibility for accelerating sales through growth and expansion across the APAC market. He is based out of Forcepoint’s Singapore office and reports to Forcepoint Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Kevin Isaac.
Engelhardt brings more than 30 years of dynamic leadership experience in cybersecurity and application software industry 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.
Talib Yousry drives 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 also focuses 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 reports to Oni Chakravartti, Vice President, Global Channel Sales, Forcepoint.
Yousry joins Forcepoint from Pulse Secure, where he was director of channels, Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), responsible for managing the company’s vast 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’ 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 Bjorn 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 (CTO) 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,” said 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.”
“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. 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 behavior-based cloud security platform, allowing our customers to accelerate their business growth and meet their desired business outcomes,” said Kevin Isaac, CRO, Forcepoint.
