F5 Appoints Two Senior Executives as It Sharpens Its Customer Focus

Rhea-AI Summary

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) has made key executive appointments to enhance its focus on customer success and cybersecurity. Yvette Smith joins as Senior Vice President of Customer Success and Business Transformation, previously managing Microsoft’s $60B+ Commercial Cloud customer success programs. Gail Coury, promoted to Senior Vice President and CISO, will lead the expansion of F5’s cybersecurity initiatives. Both executives will report to Tom Fountain, aiming to improve customer experiences and strengthen F5’s position in the cybersecurity market.

Positive

• Appointment of Yvette Smith expected to enhance customer success strategies, leveraging her experience managing a $4B P&L at Microsoft.
• Gail Coury's promotion supports the expansion of F5’s cybersecurity initiatives, enhancing product security and customer trust.

Negative

• Concerns about continuity in leadership and potential experience gaps, as both Smith and Coury are relatively new in their expanded roles.

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) announced the appointment of two senior executives as the company bolsters its focus on customer success, business transformation, and cybersecurity. Yvette Smith joins the company today as Senior Vice President of Customer Success and Business Transformation, where she will lead a newly formed group combining both functions and multiple other teams into a single organization committed to delighting customers.

Gail Coury, who joined F5 in 2018, has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), effective March 1. Coury will oversee the expansion of F5’s cybersecurity organization with responsibility for F5’s enterprise security, the security of the company’s product and service offerings, and showcasing to customers and the industry the use of F5 security technologies.

“F5 is continually raising the bar to deliver better experiences for our customers, and Yvette and Gail bring the deep expertise, proven leadership, and customer-centric approach needed to help us achieve that goal,” said Tom Fountain, Executive Vice President of Global Services and Chief Strategy Officer at F5.

Smith comes to F5 from Microsoft where she most recently led the customer success programs for their $60B+ Commercial Cloud business. She managed Microsoft’s Enterprise Support P&L of nearly $4B in revenue and was previously the General Manager for Cloud Customer Support, leading a team of over 7,000 professionals. Prior to Microsoft, Smith was SVP of Managed and Professional Services at Xerox and held multiple executive roles at IBM. She serves on the national board of directors for INROADS, Inc., which develops talented underrepresented youth in preparation for careers in the business world.

Coury previously served as Vice President and General Manager of F5 Silverline, where she led product management, marketing, architecture, engineering, and customer success for F5’s cloud-based Silverline managed service offerings. Before joining F5, Coury was CISO of Oracle Cloud, PeopleSoft, and J.D. Edwards. She brings more than 20 years of experience both as a CISO and a security product leader. Coury is also board chair of One in Tech, an ISACA Foundation committed to building equity and diversity in the digital world.

In their roles, both Smith and Coury report to Tom Fountain.

About F5

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) is a multi-cloud application security and delivery company that enables our customers—which include the world’s largest enterprises, financial institutions, service providers, and governments—to bring extraordinary digital experiences to life. For more information, go to f5.com. You can also follow @F5 on Twitter or visit us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technologies.

F5 and Silverline are trademarks, service marks, or tradenames of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: F5 Networks

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005121/en/

FAQ

Who are the newly appointed executives at F5?

Yvette Smith has been appointed as Senior Vice President of Customer Success and Business Transformation, while Gail Coury is promoted to Senior Vice President and CISO.

What are the roles of Yvette Smith and Gail Coury at F5?

Yvette Smith will lead customer success initiatives and business transformation, and Gail Coury will oversee F5's cybersecurity organization.

What impact will Yvette Smith's appointment have on F5?

Her extensive experience at Microsoft is expected to enhance F5's customer success strategies and improve overall customer satisfaction.

When did Gail Coury's promotion to CISO take effect?

Gail Coury's promotion to Chief Information Security Officer was effective March 1.

What is the focus of F5 with these management changes?

F5 is focusing on improving customer success, driving business transformation, and enhancing cybersecurity measures in response to growing market needs.