Robert Vankirk

Bob VanKirk serves as SonicWall’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Under Bob’s guidance, SonicWall is positioning the company for continued growth in the years ahead. This includes delivering the most security-rich, cost-effective, partner-centric and user-friendly products and services to protect organizations from constantly emerging cyberthreats.

As the SVP and Chief Revenue Officer for SonicWall, Bob overhauled SonicWall’s go-to-market structure and alignment, increasing sales effectiveness and sales efficiency. Implementing KPIs and new sales processes across the business, the team moved from overlapping quotas and territories to unique, targeted partner and customer accounts, clear responsibility and greater accountability. The global sales team delivered multiple successive quarters of key quarter-over-quarter and/or year-over-year growth, which included a record FY22.

Bob also held the roles of SVP of Strategic Sales and Chief Marketing Officer at SonicWall, where he led the corporate, product management, product marketing and field marketing teams. In just over a year, the teams successfully launched record product releases, new threat data and a new corporate campaign with global marketing programs.

Prior to joining SonicWall, Bob was Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing with Silent Circle, the leader in enterprise privacy. Key accomplishments included establishing updated sales processes, increasing customer retention and implementing Silent Circle’s go-to-market strategy with a focus on driving revenue via channel partners. This resulted in delivering rapid growth and customer acquisition within the enterprise segment globally.

Bob also served as SVP of Americas Sales and Service at Entrust for 14 years where he drove regional sales and service across the Americas, ran global marketing, implemented Entrust’s Customer Value Analysis initiative and established the inside sales and SSL teams. The team consistently delivered year-over-year growth, surpassing two times the market growth rate, adding a record number of net new Fortune 1,000 customers with world class renewal rates across the installed base.

Bob received a B.A. from Davidson College and master’s degrees from North Carolina State University in Business and Policy.

In less than eight months, the team delivered key revenue with record quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year growth. Prior to Strategic Sales, VanKirk was SonicWall’s Chief Marketing Officer where he led the corporate, product management, product marketing and field marketing teams. In just over a year, the teams successfully launched record product releases, new threat data and a new corporate campaign with global marketing programs. As a result, SonicWall set new records around installed base upgrades, in-bound contact sales, press and media coverage, social engagement, and industry awards and recognition, resulting in being named Marketing Team of the Year in the 2018 Info Security Product Guide Global Excellence Awards.

Prior to joining SonicWall, Bob was Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing with Silent Circle, the leader in enterprise privacy. Key accomplishments included establishing updated sales processes, increasing customer retention and implementing Silent Circle’s go-to-market strategy with a focus on driving revenue via channel partners. This resulted in delivering rapid growth and customer acquisition within the enterprise segment globally. Prior to Silent Circle, Bob was SVP of Americas Sales and Service with Entrust for 14 years where he drove regional sales and service across the Americas, ran global marketing, implemented Entrust’s Customer Value Analysis initiative and established the inside sales and SSL teams. The team consistently delivered year-over-year growth, surpassing two times the market growth rate, adding a record number of net new Fortune 1,000 customers with world class renewal rates across the installed base.

Bob received a B.A. from Davidson College and master’s degrees from North Carolina State University in Business and Policy.