Gil Shwed
Gil Shwed גיל שויד | |
|---|---|
_at_World_Economic_Forum_Davos_2021.png) Speaking at the 2021 World Economic Forum | |
| Born | 1968 (age 56–57) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Occupation(s) | Co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Board, Check Point Software Technologies |
Gil Shwed (Hebrew: גיל שויד; born 1968)[1][2] is an Israeli software engineer and entrepreneur.[3][4] He is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, one of Israel's largest technology companies and the world's largest pure-play cybersecurity company.[5][4] Shwed was CEO from 1994 until 2024, the longest tenured CEO on Nasdaq.[6]
Early life
[edit]Shwed was born in Jerusalem.[7] He started programming at the age of 13, and two years later began studying computer sciences at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, while he was still in high-school.[4]
During his military service he was part of the Intelligence Corps' Unit 8200.[8] Afterwards, Shwed joined the Israeli startup company Optrotech (currently Orbotech), where he worked as a Software Developer.
Career
[edit]In 1993, Shwed founded Check Point with Shlomo Kramer, Shwed's friend from the military unit, and Marius Nacht with whom he worked at Optrotech.[4]
That year, Shwed invented and patented stateful inspection,[9] which was the basis for the first version of the company's renowned FireWall-1, released in 1994.[10] Stateful Inspection is still widely used in network firewalls today.[11]
1994 Shwed became the chief executive officer and director of Check Point. He previously was president of Check Point and chairman of the board.[12] As of 2018, Shwed is the leading shareholder in Checkpoint, owning 19.1% of the company, with an estimated worth of US$3.4 billion. The second largest shareholder in Check Point is US investment company Massachusetts Financial Services with a 7.7% stake worth $1.3 billion at present.[13]
Shwed and Check Point emphasize the "fifth generation" of cybersecurity, addressing the underlying issues behind such vulnerabilities as the WannaCry and NotPetya security breaches in 2017.[14][15] He has stated that enterprise businesses are "two generations behind" in their security thinking, and describes the industry as being at an "inflection point."[16]
As of January 27, 2024, Forbes listed Gil Shwed net worth at US$4.38 billion, ranking him 682 on the Billionaires list[17] and he was ranked 9th among the top wealthiest people in Israel.[18]
In 2024, Shwed stepped down as CEO and became Executive Chairman of the Board.[19]
Boards
[edit]He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Tel Aviv University and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Youth University of Tel Aviv University.[1] He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Yeholot Association founded by the Rashi Foundation whose charter is, among other things, to reduce dropout rates in high schools.[1]
Acknowledgments
[edit]He received an honorary doctorate from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in June 2005.[20]
In 2002, Shwed received the Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award at a ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, for his innovative contribution to business and technology.[21][22]
Globes honored Shwed as their "Person of the Year" in 2014.[23]
In 2018, Shwed was the recipient of the first-ever Israel Prize in technology.[21][24][25]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Gil Shwed wins first-ever Israel Prize in high-tech". Globes. 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Check Point CEO to receive Israel Prize in Technology and Innovation - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com.
- ^ CIO. 1 October 2002. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d "A Fortune In Firewalls". Forbes. 18 March 2002. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013.
- ^ Morgan, Steve. "Meet the World's Largest Cybersecurity Companies". Forbes. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^ "Gil Shwed stepping down as Check Point CEO after 30 years". ctech. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "Cybersecurity mogul Gil Shwed wins first-ever Israel Prize for Technology". www.israelhayom.com. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "The Unit". Forbes. 8 February 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ Paul Fisher (22 September 2009). SC Magazine interviews Gil Shwed, co-founder of Check Point. SC Magazine UK. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ Kessler, E. H.; Wong-Mingji, D. J. (2009). Cultural mythology and global leadership. ISBN 9781848447387. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ "What is stateful inspection?". Searchnetworking.techtarget.com. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ "Bloomberg Executive Profile". Bloomberg News.
- ^ "Check Point to give Shwed options worth $144m". Globes. 19 July 2018.
- ^ Arkin, Dan (30 January 2018). ""It's imperative to develop innovative, sixth-generation defenses": Check Point Founder and CEO Gil Shwed said at the opening plenary of Cybertech Tel Aviv 2018 that "fifth-generation cyber-attacks excel in identification theft, as well as in targeting cloud services and mobile systems"". Israel Defense.
- ^ Murphy, Ian (25 January 2018). "Check Point warns of mega attacks". Enterprise Times.
- ^ Panettieri, Joe (7 February 2018). "Check Point Software CEO Gil Shwed Addresses Fifth Generation Cyber Attacks". MSSP Alert.
- ^ "Gil Shwed". Forbes. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Wealthiest People in Israel (January 22, 2024)". CEOWORLD magazine.
- ^ "Check Point names Nadav Zafrir next CEO". Globes. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "March 2003". Pard.technion.ac.il. 27 March 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ a b Yefet, Nati (4 March 2018). "Gil Shwed wins first-ever Israel Prize in high-tech". Globes.
- ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ Dover, Shiri (7 December 2014). ""Globes" names Gil Shwed "Person of the Year"". Globes. Globes. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^ "Cybersecurity Pioneer Gil Shwed to Receive First Israel Prize in Technology: Founder and CEO of Check Point Software Technologies has been awarded the first Israel Prize in the newly formed technology category". Haaretz. 5 March 2018.
- ^ Orbach, Meir (3 April 2018). "Check Point Founder Gil Shwed First Israel Award Laureate in the Field of Technology and Innovation". CTech / Calcalist.
External links
[edit]- Gil Shwed's biography at Check Point Home Page
- Shwed’s profile on Forbes
- Shwed’s profile on Bloomberg Businessweek
- Masters of The Universe 14 Years Later