Gil Shwed

Gil Shwed, born in 1968 in Jerusalem, is an Israeli software engineer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of Check Point Software Technologies, one of Israel's largest technology companies and the world's largest pure-play cybersecurity company. Shwed held the position of CEO from 1994 until 2024, the longest tenure for a Nasdaq-listed company.

Shwed started programming at age 13 and two years later began studying computer sciences at Hebrew University in Jerusalem while still in high school. During his military service he was part of the Intelligence Corps' Unit 8200. Afterwards, Shwed joined the Israeli startup company Optrotech (currently Orbotech), where he worked as a Software Developer. His approximately four-year tenure at Optrotech, spanning the late 1980s to early 1990s, was pivotal in transitioning his military-acquired technical acumen into commercial software engineering.

Career History

• Software Developer, Optrotech (late 1980s–1993)
• Co-founder and CEO, Check Point Software Technologies (1993–December 2024)
• Executive Chairman, Check Point Software Technologies (December 2024–present)

In 1993, Shwed co-founded Check Point with Shlomo Kramer and Marius Nacht. He is considered the inventor of the modern firewall and author of several patents, such as the company's Stateful Inspection technology. Under his leadership as CEO from 1993 to December 2024, Check Point went public on Nasdaq in 1996, expanded into virtual private networks (VPNs), endpoint security, and cloud protection, and achieved annual revenues exceeding $2.4 billion by 2024. Mr. Shwed has received numerous accolades, including the Israel Prize for his contributions to the Israeli tech industry and philanthropy, honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Tel Aviv University, the World Economic Forum's Global Leader for Tomorrow for his commitment to public affairs and leadership in areas beyond immediate professional interests, and the Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award for his innovative contribution to business and technology.

What Gil Shwed could bring to Executive Chairman at Check Point Software Technologies: As the founder and architect of Check Point's 30-year strategic vision, Shwed transitions to Executive Chairman with unparalleled institutional knowledge of the cybersecurity industry, proven ability to grow a startup into a $2.7 billion revenue enterprise while maintaining profitability every quarter, and deep expertise in firewall and network security innovation. His continued leadership will enable long-term strategic guidance, board oversight, and stewardship of the company's technical direction while empowering new CEO Nadav Zafrir to drive operational execution and market expansion in an evolving threat landscape dominated by AI-driven attacks and cloud security challenges.