Veza Welcomes Kane Lightowler as New President and COO
Veza, a leader in identity security, is excited to announce the appointment of Kane Lightowler as its president and chief operating officer (COO). With a rich background in cybersecurity and extensive experience in scaling high-growth companies, Lightowler will take charge of the global go-to-market strategy. His leadership will encompass all aspects of sales, marketing, customer success, and alliance partnerships. Over the past year, Veza has experienced significant growth, and Lightowler’s expertise is expected to enhance this momentum further.
Lightowler's Impressive Background
Kane Lightowler brings more than 20 years of experience in leading go-to-market teams within the cybersecurity field. His most recent position was as the vice president for worldwide sales at Palo Alto Networks, specifically for Prisma Cloud and Cortex. Lightowler also previously served as the chief revenue officer at Expanse, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks. He held various leadership roles at Carbon Black, where he was instrumental in driving enterprise sales go-to-market efforts during its IPO and subsequent acquisition by VMware. Additionally, he has experience as an area vice president at Imperva for the Asia Pacific region and as a regional sales director for Australia and New Zealand. This diverse background showcases his successful track record in nurturing high-growth organizations.
The Vision for Veza's Future
In a statement regarding his new role, Lightowler expressed his enthusiasm: "Throughout my career, I’ve championed next-gen solutions as essential for building effective cybersecurity strategies. Veza provides unmatched visibility into access permissions, helping security teams clearly understand who can do what with their data. This simplifies identity and access management, mitigates risk, and empowers organizations to unlock the full potential of their data. I’m thrilled to join a team driving such transformative change in cybersecurity.”
Current Growth Trends at Veza
Veza is currently witnessing rapid growth as organizations like Sallie Mae and Snowflake recognize the importance of identity-first security in today’s complex digital landscape. Recent highlights from the company include:
- Achieving triple-digit year-over-year annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth, placing it among the top performers in startup metrics.
- Securing an enterprise net revenue retention (NRR) rate exceeding 120%, which showcases exceptional performance.
- Monitoring an astonishing 2.2 billion permissions—a significant increase from 200 million permissions just a few months ago—and managing over 10 million identities.
- Receiving multiple industry accolades, including recognition as one of CRN's 2024 Top Stellar Startups and being listed in Fortune's Cyber 60.
- Wide customer acquisition across Fortune 500 and Global 2000 firms in sectors like financial services, healthcare, and big tech.
Industry Insight on Identity Security
The evolution of the identity security landscape is marked by the rise of cloud technologies, artificial intelligence, and the growing number of non-human identities. These dynamics present challenges that traditional solutions struggle to address effectively. Karim Faris, a general partner at Google Ventures, commented, "Veza’s rapid growth underscores its innovative approach to identity security. We’re thrilled to welcome Kane to the team; his proven expertise in scaling cybersecurity companies makes him the ideal leader to propel Veza’s next phase of global expansion.”
About Veza
Veza is at the forefront of identity security, assisting organizations in securing access across the enterprise landscape. The Veza Access Platform transcends standard identity governance and administration tools, allowing organizations to visualize and manage entitlements, ensuring compliance and minimizing security risks associated with breaches. Major global brands, including Wynn Resorts, Expedia, and Blackstone rely on Veza to handle various identity security challenges. These encompass privileged access monitoring, managing non-human identities, access entitlement oversight, and maintaining overall security hygiene. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Los Gatos, California, Veza is backed by prominent investors including Accel, Bain Capital, and Google Ventures. For more information, visit veza.com and stay connected through their social media channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role will Kane Lightowler play at Veza?
Kane Lightowler will serve as the President and COO, leading Veza's global go-to-market strategy and overseeing various business functions.
What prior experience does Kane Lightowler have?
Lightowler has over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, including key leadership positions at Palo Alto Networks and Expanse, contributing to their growth.
How is Veza performing in the market?
Veza has achieved triple-digit ARR growth and over 120% NRR, marking it as a top performer among startups.
Why is identity security important?
Identity security is vital for organizations to manage access permissions effectively, mitigate risks, and comply with regulations in a digital landscape.
What industries does Veza serve?
Veza provides services across various industries, including financial services, healthcare, life sciences, retail, and technology sectors.
