Gil Shwed
Gil Shwed גיל שויד | |
|---|---|
 Speaking at the 2021World Economic Forum | |
| Born | 1968 (age 55–56) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Occupation(s) | Co-founder andCEO,Check Point Software Technologies |
Gil Shwed(Hebrew: גיל שויד; born 1968)[1][2][3][4]is an Israeli software engineer and entrepreneur.[5][6]He is the co-founder andCEOofCheck PointSoftware Technologies Ltd, one of Israel's largest technology companies and the world's largestpure-playcybersecurity company.[7][6]
Biography
[edit]Shwed was born inJerusalem.He started programming at the age of 13, and two years later began studying computer sciences atHebrew Universityin Jerusalem, while he was still in high-school.[6]
During his military service he was part of the Intelligence Corps'Unit 8200.[8]After his military service had ended, Shwed joined the Israeli startup company Optrotech (currentlyOrbotech), where he worked as a Software Developer.
In 1993, Shwed foundedCheck PointwithShlomo Kramer,Shwed's friend from the military unit, andMarius Nachtwith whom he worked at Optrotech.[6]
That year, Shwed invented and patentedstateful inspection,[9]which served as the basis for the first version of the company's renowned FireWall-1, released in 1994.[10]Stateful Inspection is still widely used in networkfirewallstoday.[11]
Shwed is the chief executive officer and director of Check Point. He previously served as 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 companyMassachusetts Financial Serviceswith 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 theWannaCryandNotPetyasecurity 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][17]
He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees ofTel Aviv Universityand the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Youth University of Tel Aviv University. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Yeholot Association founded by theRashi Foundationwhose charter is, among other things, to reduce dropout rates in high schools.
On 5 March 2021,Forbeslisted his net worth at US$2.9 billion.[18]
As of January 27, 2024, Forbes listed Gil Shwed net worth at US$4.38 billion, ranking him 682 on the Billionaires list[18]and he was ranked 9th among the top wealthiest people in Israel.[19]
Acknowledgments
[edit]He received an honorary Doctor of Science from theTechnion– Israel Institute of Technology, which he received in June 2005.[20]
In 2002, Shwed received theAcademy of Achievement'sGolden Plate Award at a ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, for his innovative contribution to business and technology.[21][22]
In 2010, Shwed was recognized as theErnst & YoungEntrepreneur of the Year in Israel.[23]
Globes honored Shwed as their "Person of the Year" in 2014.[24]In September 2017, Shwed was ranked 12th inTheMarker Magazinelist.[25]
In 2018, Shwed was the recipient of the first-everIsrael Prizein technology.[21][26][27]
References
[edit]- ^"Gil Shwed".www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
- ^"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.
- ^"Markets: News - Marketscreener.com".www.marketscreener.com.
- ^CIO.1 October 2002.Retrieved21 August2011.
- ^abcd"A Fortune In Firewalls".Forbes.18 March 2002. Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2013.
- ^Morgan, Steve."Meet the World's Largest Cybersecurity Companies".Forbes.Retrieved3 November2016.
- ^"The Unit".Forbes.8 February 2007.Retrieved21 August2011.
- ^Paul Fisher (22 September 2009).SC Magazine interviews Gil Shwed, co-founder of Check Point.SC Magazine UK.Retrieved21 August2011.
- ^Kessler, E. H.; Wong-Mingji, D. J. (2009).Cultural mythology and global leadership.ISBN9781848447387.Retrieved21 August2011.
- ^"What is stateful inspection?".Searchnetworking.techtarget.com. 17 August 2011.Retrieved21 August2011.
- ^"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.
- ^Harding, Scharon (9 February 2018)."Check Point CEO: Enterprises 'two generations behind' in cybersecurity: The average enterprise hasn't made it past app security, Gil Shwed tells conference".ChannelNomics.[permanent dead link]
- ^Panettieri, Joe (7 February 2018)."Check Point Software CEO Gil Shwed Addresses Fifth Generation Cyber Attacks".MSSP Alert.
- ^ab"Gil Shwed".Forbes.Retrieved27 January2024.
- ^"Wealthiest People in Israel (January 22, 2024)".CEOWORLD magazine.
- ^"March 2003".Pard.technion.ac.il. 27 March 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2010.Retrieved21 August2011.
- ^abYefet, 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.
- ^"The Israeli Entrepreneur of the Year award".Archived fromthe originalon 20 January 2013.
- ^Dover, Shiri (7 December 2014).""Globes" names Gil Shwed "Person of the Year"".Globes.Globes.Retrieved3 November2016.
- ^Vidal, Elihay (18 September 2017)."High-tech Execs Dominate List of 100 Most Influential People in Israeli Economy".Haaretz.Retrieved5 October2017.
- ^"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 biographyat Check Point Home Page
- Shwed’s profileon Forbes
- Shwed’s profileon Bloomberg Businessweek
- Masters of The Universe 14 Years Later