Fortinet to Continue to Bring Together Top Technology and Golf Talent at Fortinet Championship PGA TOUR Event

Issued by: Fortinet

14/7/2022

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

John Maddison, CMO and EVP of Products at Fortinet
“Fortinet is excited to once again welcome our community of partners and customers to another Fortinet Championship event in beautiful Napa Valley, kicking off the start of a new PGA TOUR season. Last year, over twenty thought leaders shared insights and solutions on the latest evolutions of cybersecurity as part of the Security Summit Symposium, which was complemented with our Technology Expo of over 35 partners showcasing new and emerging technologies. A highlight of our partnership with the PGA TOUR through this event will remain how we benefit our community and customers, as well as local non-profit organizations.”

News Summary
Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced the upcoming Fortinet Championship PGA TOUR tournament event lineup, including the Security Summit Symposium, Technology Vendor Exposition, and the Fortinet and the Fortinet Championship philanthropic support for local non-profits that share Fortinet’s vision in building an inclusive and diverse workplace to close the cybersecurity skills gap. The Fortinet Championship event will be held in Napa, California at the Silverado Resort and Spa, September 15–18, 2022.

Fortinet Championship Security Summit and Technology Vendor Expo
The four-day event will build on last year’s highly successful inaugural Fortinet Championship event and will include a Security Summit and Technology Vendor Exposition. It will bring together some of the world’s best golfers and their worldwide fans with the Fortinet community of customers, partners, executives—some of the technology industry’s most accomplished leaders to discuss the latest security innovations and networking trends.

Top Leaders Discuss the Future of Cybersecurity 

  • This year’s Fortinet Championship Security Summit Symposium will take place on Tuesday September 13 and Friday, September 16.
  • The Security Summit includes a full-day Symposium of keynotes, panels and roundtable discussions with leading experts with an agenda built to offer innovative ideas and best practices that will help drive digital transformation forward.
  • Topics that will be facilitated at the Security Summit Symposium include – but are not limited to: managing cyber risk, securing critical infrastructure, how security is critical to innovation, securing cloud migration and connectivity, zero trust, and closing the cyber skills gap.
  • The Fortinet Leadership Executive Panel will also return for the 2022 Security Summit Symposium, offering attendees the opportunity to hear from industry luminaries and leaders that includes Ken Xie, founder, chairman of the board, and CEO, Michael Xie, founder, president, and CTO, and Keith Jensen, CFO, about the future of cybersecurity and Fortinet’s role in driving that future forward.
  • Members from the recently announced Fortinet Public Sector Advisory Council will attend to facilitate discussions tied to understanding, assessing, managing, and mitigating cyber risk.

Technology Leaders Showcase Technology Innovations

  • The Security Summit will be complemented with a Technology Vendor Expo, taking place in parallel with the tournament dates of September 12-18.
  • Together, Fortinet and global partners will showcase the latest evolutions of cybersecurity, including new and emerging technologies, as well as the power of integration.
  • Technology partners that will be included in the Expo include AT&T, AWS, Google Cloud, and Intel.

Coming Together to Secure Data, Devices, and People Everywhere
Net proceeds from the Fortinet Championship support nonprofits that share the Fortinet vision of building an inclusive and diverse workplace by helping close the cybersecurity skills gap as part of its mission to secure people, devices, and data everywhere and help make possible a digital world that you can always trust.

Fortinet has designated proceeds from the Fortinet Championship to benefit nonprofit organizations in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); diversity and inclusion; and reskilling programs, as well as local Napa-area nonprofits.

  • The Fortinet Championship is pleased to pair with STEM-related initiatives with organizations that include the Alaina’s Voice Foundation, Cameron Champ Foundation, Eat. Learn. Play Foundation, and WINE WOMEN.
  • Additionally, local Napa Valley non-profits that will benefit from the Fortinet Championship include the Keller Restaurant Relief Fund, Napa Valley Vine Trail Foundation, Travis Air Force Base Reserves, and Queen of the Valley Foundation.
  • In 2019, Fortinet pledged to train 1 million people globally over 5 years through its Training Advancement Agenda (TAA) and Fortinet Training Institute programs to help close the cybersecurity skills gap.
  • These and other programs, such as Fortinet’s TAA Initiative, which provides free Network Security Expert (NSE) Certifications and training, as well as academic partner and education outreach programs are cultivating a skilled, inclusive, and diverse cybersecurity workforce will continue Fortinet efforts to help close the cybersecurity skills gap.

Fortinet Brand Ambassadors
At the inaugural Fortinet Championship event last September, Fortinet brought together the world’s best players and technology leaders, an event that culminated in Max Homa winning the Fortinet Championship trophy on Sunday. Later that year, Max, the inaugural champion, was named a Fortinet Global Brand Ambassador. David Lipsky was added as a Fortinet Brand Ambassador in 2022.

  • About Max Homa: A Southern California native, Max earned a golf scholarship to attend the University of California Berkeley. He went on to win the PAC-12 Conference Championship, as well as the 2013 NCAA Championship individual honors, and competed in the 2013 US Open as an amateur. Max won his first PGA TOUR event at the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship. Since then, Max has had numerous great finishes on the PGA TOUR, highlighted by three wins. After claiming his first TOUR win at the 2021 Genesis Invitational, Max followed up this season by winning the 2021 Fortinet Championship and 2022 Wells Fargo Championship. We expect that Max will return to Napa this year to defend his title.
  • About David Lipsky: A rookie on the PGA TOUR this year, David also grew up in California. He attended college at Northwestern University in Illinois, and David won multiple tournaments in his college career, including the 2010 Big Ten Individual Championship, and was honored as an All-American in 2011. Following his graduation in 2011, David turned professional. David secured a win at the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC San Antonio Challenge in 2020.

Additional Fortinet Championship Detail

  • The Fortinet Championship begins on September 15 and will kick off the 2022-2023 PGA TOUR season.
  • The event will provide fans with an authentic Napa experience, featuring the best of Napa Valley food & wine, popular musicians, and a field of 156 of the world’s best golfers — all in one event.
  • The inaugural PGA TOUR season event hosts many of the best golfers in the world. The player field has previously included elite players such as Jon Rahm, Rory Mcllroy, 2021 Champion Max Homa, and many more.
  • The Fortinet Championship Concert Series will be held on the South Course at Silverado Resort and Spa immediately following completion of play Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17. Friday night will feature multi-platinum country music star Cole Swindell with special guest Gavin DeGraw. Grammy nominated powerhouse OneRepublic, with special guest X Ambassadors, will take the stage on Saturday night. Concert admission is included in the cost of the daily ticket.

For more information on the Fortinet Championship, the Concert Series, and to buy tickets, please visit www.fortinetchampionship.com.

Watch to Learn More

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

Supporting Quote
“We are excited to again have the Fortinet Championship as an integral part of the FedExCup season in September. Our players, their families, and our fans love visiting Napa Valley. In its inaugural year, the Fortinet team did a stellar job of meeting and often exceeding the PGA TOUR’s high standards for our tournaments. With Fortinet, we expect another spectacular event this year and appreciate its support in continuing to grow the popularity of our sport as well as the charitable impact the Fortinet Championship has on the local community.”

— Tyler Dennis, President of the PGA TOUR

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