Forcepoint Strengthens Executive Leadership Team to Drive AI-Powered Data Security Innovation

Company appoints data and security risk veterans to accelerate innovation and execution of Data Security Everywhere architecture

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forcepoint, a global leader in data security, today announced three strategic leadership appointments to accelerate innovation and execution of its AI-driven Data Security Everywhere strategy. Guy Shamilov has been named Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Bakshi Kohli as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Head of Global Engineering, and Naveen Palavalli’s role has expanded to Chief Product Officer and Chief Marketing Officer (CPO and CMO). Today's appointments strengthen Forcepoint’s vision to unify visibility and control across all stages of the data security lifecycle—from discovery and classification to prioritization, monitoring and risk mitigation.

As data spreads across hybrid environments and generative AI (GenAI) introduces new risks, dynamic, adaptive data security is essential for protecting sensitive information and intellectual property from automated, AI-driven threats. Legacy security approaches relying on disconnected, one-off tools are no longer sustainable. By unifying security policies and leveraging AI-powered automation, Forcepoint’s Data Security Everywhere platform enables businesses and governments to prevent data loss, simplify compliance and proactively defend against evolving cyber threats—all through a centralized, AI-driven architecture.

“Our mission is to simplify security for enterprises and governments by embedding AI automation into every aspect of data security,” said Ryan Windham, CEO of Forcepoint. “With AI Mesh at the core of Forcepoint’s insights and adaptive controls for risk, we uniquely deliver full-lifecycle data security across hybrid and AI environments. Guy, Bakshi and Naveen bring deep expertise to accelerate this product innovation, enhance customer security postures and drive our growth as the leader in unified data security.”

Leadership to Meet the Growing Challenges of AI-based Security Risks

Guy Shamilov, CISO – Security at the Core of Business Strategy

With over 20 years of experience, Shamilov leads Forcepoint’s global security strategy and operations, embedding cybersecurity into business culture, objectives and operations. Prior to Forcepoint, he served as CISO at Varonis, Tata Consultancy Services and Traiana, driving security innovation and risk management. He also holds the (ISC)² Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification and was named CISO of the Year in 2023 by NC Tech Association.

“CISOs today face an unprecedented challenge—AI-driven attacks are on the rise, and businesses are struggling to keep up with evolving threats, adapt strategies, and fix security gaps—all while managing complex tools and controls,” said Shamilov. “Forcepoint is solving this problem with an end-to-end, AI-powered platform that brings visibility and control under one roof to simplify management, mitigate risk and reduce cost for CISOs.”

Bakshi Kohli, CTO and Head of Global Engineering – Advancing AI-Powered Protection

A technologist with over 30 years of experience, Kohli drives the architectural vision of Forcepoint’s Data Security Everywhere platform and leads global engineering teams. At Zscaler, he helped grow recurring revenue 15x and played a key role in the company’s successful IPO.

“GenAI is transforming security, and businesses and governments must understand what data is being fed into AI models and what insights are coming out,” said Kohli. “AI also presents the perfect pathway for innovating data security. No other vendor delivers the depth and breadth of data security like Forcepoint. With world-class DLP and the Getvisibility acquisition, we are building the industry’s most comprehensive data security platform—one that makes security stronger and more manageable.”

• Naveen Palavalli, CPO and CMO – Unifying Product and Market Execution

With nearly 25 years of technology experience in the cybersecurity industry, Palavalli now oversees product strategy, roadmap and marketing, ensuring seamless alignment between innovation and customer needs. Since joining Forcepoint as CMO in April 2024, he has driven the launch of Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), Data Detection and Response (DDR), and AI-Mesh capabilities—powered by Getvisibility.

“Security must adapt as fast as the threats do, which makes all the difference between which businesses thrive or simply survive in the AI era,” said Palavalli. “Customers tell us daily there must be a simpler way to keep up. Bringing together product and marketing underscores Forcepoint’s commitment to delivering real-time, adaptive data security solutions developed with customers, for customers.”

Expanding AI Security Capabilities

These leadership appointments come as Forcepoint expands its AI-driven data security capabilities with the planned acquisition of Getvisibility, a leader in AI-powered security solutions. The acquisition strengthens Forcepoint’s Data Security Everywhere architecture—including DLP, CASB and SWG—with deeper DSPM, DDR and AI-Mesh integration to help customers identify and protect sensitive data in real time. With this unified approach, Forcepoint brings visibility and control under one roof, enabling organizations to secure their data across cloud, web and endpoint environments, without the complexity of managing multiple security tools.

About Forcepoint

Forcepoint simplifies security for global businesses and governments. The company’s Data Security Everywhere architecture makes it easy to adopt Zero Trust and prevent the theft or loss of sensitive data and intellectual property no matter where people are working. Based in Austin, Texas, Forcepoint creates safe, trusted environments for customers and their employees in more than 150 countries.