Tel Aviv – – October 07, 2026 -- Cato Networks has appointed Chad Gardner as chief revenue officer, tasking him with leading the company's global sales organization as enterprises converge networking and security infrastructure while adopting AI.
Gardner joins from Blackfoot Communications, where he oversaw wholesale, premier, and enterprise business units
Prior to Blackfoot, Gardner served as vice president of sales for North America at SambaNova Systems. His background includes multiple leadership roles at Palo Alto Networks, including vice president of global SASE sales and vice president of sales for West Majors, as well as VP leadership positions at Netskope. He has also held executive sales roles at Denali Advanced Integration, NetApp, and Cisco Systems.
Cato CEO cites Gardner's SASE experience as key to expanding converged networking and security sales
"His experience leading global SASE sales gives him a clear understanding of why enterprises are moving to converged networking and security," said Shlomo Kramer, co-founder and CEO of Cato Networks, adding that Gardner brings the sales leadership and customer focus needed to expand the business.
Alon Alter, Cato's chief business officer, said Gardner's experience across SASE, cybersecurity, and enterprise technology makes him well suited to lead the sales organization as the company works to help more organizations converge network and security for the AI era.
Gardner says Cato's architecture and AI security approach drove his decision to join
Gardner said Cato's ability to simplify security while helping organizations adopt AI securely was a particularly important factor in his decision, adding that he intends to scale the business and strengthen customer and partner relationships.