Check Point Completes First-Ever CEO Transition As Nadav Zafrir Assumes Top Role

Zafrir, a former venture capital investor, replaces co-founder Gil Shwed, who had served as CEO of Check Point since its launch in 1993.

Check Point Software Technologies said Monday that its previously announced CEO transition has been completed with former venture capital investor Nadav Zafrir officially taking the reins of the cybersecurity giant.

Zafrir replaces Check Point co-founder Gil Shwed, who had served as CEO of the company since its launch more than three decades ago.

[Related: Check Point Is Undervalued Compared To Palo Alto Networks: Analyst]

Check Point had announced in July that Zafrir would take over for Shwed in the vendor’s first-ever CEO transition.

In a news release Monday, Check Point noted that Shwed will remain involved with the company by moving into the role of executive chairman for its board of directors.

Zafrir is quoted in the release as saying that Check Point is “uniquely positioned” within the highly competitive cybersecurity industry, and called Shwed a “partner and mentor” who will continue to have an impact on the company’s future.

Zafrir (pictured) has spent the past decade as co-founder and managing partner at VC firm Team8, which has focused on sectors including cybersecurity.

At Team8, Zafrir was involved in building 17 cybersecurity companies, Check Point said in a previous news release.

Earlier, he served in the Israeli Defense Forces for 25 years, ultimately as a Brigadier General.

Shwed played a chief role in bringing the modern firewall into existence and, in 1993, co-founded Check Point.

He also helped to establish Israel as a hub of cybersecurity entrepreneurship. Check Point alums have launched dozens of security vendors over the past three decades, notably including Palo Alto Networks and Imperva.

Analysts have noted that Check Point has major growth opportunities ahead but has not been appreciated by investors to the same degree as cybersecurity rivals such as Palo Alto Networks.

Check Point competes with Palo Alto Networks, which was founded by former Check Point engineer Nir Zuk, in its core network security business as well as in numerous other segments including cloud security, SASE (secure access service edge) and endpoint security.

In an interview with CRN in 2023, Shwed said that Check Point’s SASE platform is now “more comprehensive in terms of security capabilities. It’s more scalable and interoperable with many more systems.”