Zscaler poaches new SVP of partners from Palo Alto Networks

Karl Soderlund has been tasked with growing the vendor's partner programme

Cybersecurity firm Zscaler has appointed Karl Soderlund as its new senior vice president for worldwide partners, and alliances in a bid to "advance" and "modernise" its partner programme.

Soderlund, previously SVP at Palo Alto Networks, has been assigned to develop a competitive go-to-market strategy and lead its channel team.

Zscaler is known for its cloud-based security tools including in the zero-trust security space.

The vendor's partner programme delivers 95 per cent of the company's business and is comprised of channel system integrators, managed service providers, solution providers, and distributors including Bytes, and Computacenter.

"Karl's deep partner expertise and proven track record with the execution of highly strategic partner programmes at top networking and cybersecurity companies demonstrates that he is the right industry veteran to take our channel partner programme to the next level," said Zscaler chief operating officer Dali Rajic.

Soderlund joins Zscaler from Palo Alto Networks where he spent almost six years in a number of senior roles, most recently as its SVP of North America ecosystem sales.

He said: "Zscaler is an innovator and leader in cloud security that has consistently delivered on the promise of zero trust while redefining network security with the world's largest inline cloud security platform."

The company recently adopted a restructuring plan that includes layoffs affecting three per cent of its workforce, or about 177 employees.

The appointment comes as the company reported results for the second quarter of its fiscal 2023, ended 31 January. Zscaler's stock price fell 11.8 per cent in after-hours trading, to $118.32 per share.