Watzinger Gerhard

About Watzinger Gerhard

Gerhard Watzinger is the Chairman of the Board of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc., a role he has held since April 2012. His background is deeply rooted in cybersecurity and technology strategy. Prior to joining CrowdStrike, he served at McAfee as chief strategy officer and executive vice president, where he was responsible for global business strategy and development. CrowdStrike states that he helped accelerate McAfee’s international expansion and oversaw numerous mergers and acquisitions that contributed to record revenue growth and increased market share. He is also described as having helped architect McAfee’s acquisition by Intel in a $7.7 billion transaction, one of the largest deals in the security industry. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/about-us/board-of-directors/gerhard-watzinger/?utm_source=openai)) At CrowdStrike, Watzinger’s work is centered on board leadership and long-term governance of a major publicly traded U.S. cybersecurity company. As chairman, he helps guide the board’s oversight role, strategic priorities, and the alignment between management execution and board supervision. CrowdStrike’s investor relations governance materials show that he serves on the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, underscoring his involvement in financial oversight, compliance, and governance standards. ([ir.crowdstrike.com](https://ir.crowdstrike.com/corporate-governance/committee-composition/?utm_source=openai)) Beyond CrowdStrike, he serves on the boards of KnowBe4, NinjaOne, and Invicti, companies active in security awareness, remote monitoring and management, and web application security. Those appointments suggest broad sector expertise across cybersecurity and enterprise software, as well as familiarity with scaling high-growth technology businesses. CrowdStrike also notes that he holds an advanced degree in computer science from the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, which adds technical depth to his strategic profile. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/about-us/board-of-directors/gerhard-watzinger/?utm_source=openai)) Overall, Gerhard Watzinger is best characterized as a seasoned governance and strategy executive with notable experience in cybersecurity, mergers and acquisitions, international growth, and board leadership. His career reflects a combination of technical training, operational leadership, and board-level oversight in companies operating in fast-moving security markets. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/about-us/board-of-directors/gerhard-watzinger/?utm_source=openai))