Cato Networks, the SASE leader, today announced the appointment of Karl Soderlund as the company’s global channel chief. In his role at Cato, Soderlund will be responsible for leading the global channel team and further scaling the global partner program.
With 30 years of experience in the cybersecurity and networking industries, Soderlund has a proven track record of driving channel sales growth, partner success, and operational excellence. Most recently, Soderlund served as senior vice president of worldwide partner and alliances sales at Zscaler, where he relaunched the partner go-to-market strategy. Prior to Zscaler, Soderlund served as senior vice president of worldwide channel sales at Palo Alto Networks, where he grew partner-led sales 400% over his tenure. Soderlund also held executive sales roles at Imperva, Aruba Networks, HP, Fortinet, and Cisco.
“We welcome Karl as our new global channel chief at Cato Networks. His extensive experience and proven track record in driving and expanding global partner programs will be invaluable as we continue to scale as a company,” said Nick Fan, vice president of global sales at Cato Networks. “We look forward to the positive impact that Karl will have on our partners and customers.”
“It’s an exciting time to join Cato, which is the category creator and leader of SASE. Cato’s commitment to innovation aligns perfectly with my vision for transforming the partner ecosystem,” said Karl Soderlund, global channel chief at Cato Networks. “I look forward to collaborating with the talented team at Cato and our partners worldwide to drive channel growth, as well as deliver exceptional value to our partners and customers.”
Soderlund replaces Frank Rauch, who most recently served as global channel chief at Cato. Rauch has retired from the company after a distinguished 40-plus-year career, where he held roles at Cato, Check Point, VMware, HP, and Compaq.
“On behalf of Cato, I want to thank Frank for his visionary leadership and unwavering dedication in driving our channel growth,” said Fan. “We are deeply grateful for his contributions and wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
Additionally, Cato announced the promotion of Addie Finch to vice president of channels, Americas. Finch, who most recently served as area vice president, Americas – VARs and strategic partners at Cato, will be responsible for leading the company’s channels business for the Americas region.
“Addie’s exceptional leadership skills and deep understanding of the SASE industry has been crucial to our success in the Americas region,” said Fan. “We look forward to seeing her achieve even greater heights at Cato.”
