Ken Xie

CEO and Chairman of the Board at Fortinet

Board

Since October 2000

Age

61 years

Education

Holds a B.S. and an M.S. in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University and an M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Tenure

Has been associated with FTNT since co-founding the company in October 2000, serving as CEO from inception and as President until November 2013.

Also at Fortinet

Christiane Ohlgart

CFO (Effective May 15, 2025)

John Whittle

COO and Corporate Secretary

Keith Jensen

CFO (Retiring May 15, 2025)

About

Ken Xie has played a foundational role in shaping FTNT into a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, leveraging over 25 years of technical and management expertise.

He co-founded the firm in October 2000 and has continuously driven its vision as the Chief Executive Officer, while also serving as President until November 2013, demonstrating a deep commitment to the company’s growth and innovation.

Born in 1963 and recognized for his substantial contributions in the networking and security industries, his rigorous academic background in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University and Stanford University has been a cornerstone of his successful career.

Apart from his leadership at FTNT, his earlier ventures include founding a notable network security firm and heading technology solutions businesses, further cementing his reputation as a key influencer in the tech industry.

$FTNT Performance Under Ken Xie

Past Roles

Organization	Role	Date Range	Details
Fortinet	President	October 2000 – November 2013	Former role before being CEO and Chairman
NetScreen Technologies, Inc.	Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer	Until April 2004	Acquired by Juniper Networks, Inc. in April 2004
SIS, Inc. (Systems Integration Solutions, Inc.)	Chief Executive Officer	N/A	Talent services firm specializing in delivering technology solutions

External Roles

Organization	Role	Date Range	Details
TeleNav, Inc.	Board of Directors	July 2012 – Present	Wireless location-based services corporation

Fixed Compensation

Data from FY 2023

Component Name	Amount	Payment Schedule	Additional Details
Base Salary	$622,000	Annually	22% decrease from 2022 base salary of $797,000; no other fixed components reported

Performance Compensation

Data from FY 2023

Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (PSUs)

Metric [unit]	Value	Details
Performance Metric	TSR relative to the S&P 500	Measured over multiple periods
Performance Periods	Tranche 1: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023 (20% weighting)	Tranches 2–4 extend to 2024-2026
Actual Results (Tranche 1)	21,834 PSUs earned	Fortinet’s TSR percentile rank was 52nd
Threshold / Vesting	Below 25th percentile: 0%; 25th percentile: 50% vesting	Target at 50th: 100% vesting; 75th or greater: 200% vesting
Grant Date	February 27, 2023	Vesting on February 1 following period end
Grant Date Fair Value	$9,110,153 for 100,160 target PSUs	Valued using Monte Carlo simulation

Annual Incentive – Cash Bonus & Equity-Based Awards

Metric [unit]	Value	Details
Component	Cash Bonus and Equity Awards	Includes RSUs and PSUs for equity; cash bonus separately specified
Cash Bonus Earned	$597,921	Based on revenue (70%) and operating income (30%) metrics
Performance Metrics	Revenue & Operating Income	Threshold at 90% (40% bonus funding), target at 100% (100% funding), maximum at 140% (140% funding)
Equity Award Grant Date	February 27, 2023	RSUs granted with fair value $5,971,539; PSUs as detailed above
Vesting Schedule (Equity)	RSUs: 25% on Feb 1, 2024 then monthly vesting; PSUs: per tranche vesting after performance period	Vesting contingent on staying in service as of vesting dates

These tables summarize the detailed performance compensation components for 2023 with exact dollar amounts, share quantities, percentages, and specific performance criteria as documented.