New McAfee CEO targets enterprise growth

The new CEO of McAfee has outlined ambitions to enhance the vendor’s standing within the enterprise security market as part of growth plans in 2020.

Effective 3 February, Peter Leav will replace outgoing Chris Young who will remain in the business in an advisory role to assist with the transition before becoming a senior advisor at majority owner TPG Capital.

“McAfee is one of the largest, most important cyber security brands in the world, with a commitment to innovation and excellence,” Leav said.

“By maintaining the forward-thinking, customer-centric approach that has come to define McAfee, I am confident that we will continue to play a very meaningful role in protecting individuals, businesses and communities from the rapidly changing cyber threat landscape.”

Since becoming a standalone cyber security company nearly three years ago, McAfee has attempted to claw back its position as an industry leader following years of upheaval and ownership changes.

According to Jon Winkelried – co-CEO of TPG and chairman of McAfee – the vendor has focused on enhancing its enterprise portfolio through “significant investments” in next-generation endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, backed by device-to-cloud capabilities.

Winkelried added that the business has also “consistently grown” its revenue in the mid-single digits and profit in the double digits.

“Peter has exactly the right mix of experience and expertise to lead McAfee in its next phase of growth,” Winkelried outlined. “Building on the significant progress McAfee has made over the last three years, Leav’s experience successfully scaling enterprise technology businesses, along with his strong innovation track record, will help push McAfee further in its mission to create a safer, more secure cyber sphere.”

Leveraging more than 20 years executive experience, Leav most recently served as president and CEO of BMC Software, following roles at Cisco, Polycom, NCR Corporation, Motorola and Symbol Technologies.

“We’re proud of the progress McAfee has made since becoming a standalone company, and we thank Chris for his pivotal role through the first phase of McAfee’s evolution,” said Tim Millikin, partner at TPG Capital.

“With a universally respected brand, an expanded enterprise product portfolio, successful strategic entries into cloud and mobile security, and a strong leadership team, McAfee is well-positioned for continued growth under Peter’s leadership.”