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Check Point taps Les Williamson to lead A/NZ

Follows the departure of Ian Raper to Splunk at the end of last year.
Les Williamson (Check Point Software)

Les Williamson (Check Point Software)

Cyber security vendor Check Point Software has appointed long-serving IT talent Les Williamson to lead Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ). 

Based in Melbourne, Williamson replaces Ian Raper, who took over as A/NZ lead two years ago but joined Splunk as southern sales director at the end of last year. 

Williamson previously served as head of AWS Asia Pacific's (APAC) telecommunication business unit back in August last year. 

He has also held top A/NZ and APAC leadership roles for Citrix and Cisco, spending 14 years at the latter until 2013. 

In his new role, Williamson will report directly to Sharat Sinha, vice president and general manager of Asia Pacific and Japan.  

“We’re incredibly excited to have Les, an industry veteran, leading the Australian and New Zealand business," Sinha said. 

"Our strategic direction is built around delivering the best security solutions to partners and customers and Les’s industry experience and expert leadership will enable the development of A/NZ companies’ security strategy required for their own digital transformation.  

"By leveraging Check Point’s extensive security portfolio to provide this consolidated approach to prevention-first security, I’m confident that Les will bring a significant contribution to the development of our clients’ security and digital strategies and protect their business for continued growth.” 

Commenting on his appointment at Check Point, Williamson said it was "imperative for organisations to strengthen their cyber defences and protect their bottom lines". 

"Working with my team, we will look to offer ‘prevention-first’ solutions that go beyond traditional security, protecting areas that our customers have not even thought about. It’s always a prized opportunity to be part of something that brings true customer business relevance and contributes positively to the broader A/NZ economy," he said.  

The announcement follows the recent promotion of Rod Thorne as Australia country manager and executive appointments with Mark Baker as New Zealand country manager, alongside Leo Lynch as head of channels A/NZ and John Marshall as head of distribution A/NZ.