Gil Shwed גיל שויד | |
|---|---|
_at_World_Economic_Forum_Davos_2021.png) Speaking at the 2021 World Economic Forum | |
| Born | 1968 (age 55–56) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Occupation(s) | Co-founder and CEO, 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 and CEO of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, one of Israel's largest technology companies and the world's largest pure-play cybersecurity company.[7][6]
Shwed was born in Jerusalem. He started programming at the age of 13, and two years later began studying computer sciences at Hebrew University in 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 (currently Orbotech), where he worked as a Software Developer.
In 1993, Shwed founded Check Point with Shlomo Kramer, Shwed's friend from the military unit, and Marius Nacht with whom he worked at Optrotech.[6]
That year, Shwed invented and patented stateful 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 network firewalls today.[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 company Massachusetts Financial Services with 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 the WannaCry and NotPetya security 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 of Tel Aviv University and 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 the Rashi Foundation whose charter is, among other things, to reduce dropout rates in high schools.
On 5 March 2021, Forbes listed 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[19] and he was ranked 9th among the top wealthiest people in Israel.[20]
He received an honorary Doctor of Science from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, which he received in June 2005.[21]
In 2002, Shwed received the Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award at a ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, for his innovative contribution to business and technology.[22][23]
In 2010, Shwed was recognized as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Israel.[24]
Globes honored Shwed as their "Person of the Year" in 2014.[25] In September 2017, Shwed was ranked 12th in TheMarker Magazine list.[26]
In 2018, Shwed was the recipient of the first-ever Israel Prize in technology.[22][27][28]