Since joining Proofpoint in 2016, Ashan Willy has helped our company deliver world-class products and outstanding customer experiences by driving rapid innovation across our largest product lines and leading our critical go-to-market teams. And now, Ashan is bringing his passion for technology and commitment to helping our company grow and succeed to his new role as the CEO of Proofpoint.
“I am honored and excited to take on the role of CEO,” says Ashan. “It is an enormous responsibility to take Proofpoint—one of the most revered and successful cybersecurity companies in the world—through the next phase of our journey while maintaining the incredible culture that we have all created. My excitement is rooted in the deep conviction I have in our path forward, the continued and accelerating momentum we’ve seen across the business, and the team and ethos we have at Proofpoint.”
Ashan’s appointment as CEO complements other positive news for Proofpoint. The company’s recently released year-end financial results for 2021 highlight favorable growth for the business. Revenue and billings grew by more than 20% year-over-year. Proofpoint looks to build on that momentum in 2022 by hiring across all organizations and locations at an accelerated pace.
Ashan has stated that expanding our information protection capabilities and growing our threat protection business outside of North America are among his priorities as our new CEO.
Unanimous approval from the Thoma Bravo board
“The Thoma Bravo board of directors is excited to partner with Ashan as he leads Proofpoint in its next phase of growth,” says Seth Boro, a managing partner at Thoma Bravo. “We are confident he will carry Proofpoint’s mission to provide people-centric cybersecurity solutions to today’s leading organizations and remain the market leader, and we look forward to working with him.”
Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm, completed its acquisition of Proofpoint in August 2021 for about $12.3 billion in cash. The Thoma Bravo board of directors unanimously approved Ashan’s appointment to the CEO role in early March.
A technology career that spans nearly three decades
Ashan’s more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry includes senior leadership positions at Cisco, Juniper, Polycom and Webex. At Proofpoint, Ashan has led our product management, engineering and threat research organizations. His most recent role at the company was as executive vice president and general manager of our Security Product and Services Group.
Ashan earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University in California. He also holds the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) technical certification, among other industry designations.