Leadership Team

Pravin Kothari is a distinguished entrepreneur and cybersecurity expert with over two decades of experience in the technology industry. He is the founder and CEO of CipherCloud, a pioneer in cloud security and data protection solutions. Pravin's innovative approach has helped transform the way organizations secure their sensitive data in the cloud. Prior to CipherCloud, he co-founded ArcSight, a leading security information and event management (SIEM) company, which was acquired by HP for $1.5 billion. Pravin holds multiple patents in security technology and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. He earned his Master's degree in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Bombay. Pravin's visionary leadership and deep technical expertise have made him a respected figure in the cybersecurity community, driving advancements in encryption, data loss prevention, and compliance solutions.

Warlu Kothapalli is a distinguished engineering leader with a deep expertise in developing innovative technology solutions. As the Vice President of Engineering at AppSOC, he oversees the engineering team, driving the development of cutting-edge cybersecurity products. With over twenty years of experience in the tech industry, Warlu has a proven track record of delivering high-quality software and leading successful engineering projects. Prior to joining AppSOC, he held senior engineering roles at several top technology companies, where he was instrumental in advancing product development and technology strategy. Warlu holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Known for his technical acumen and leadership skills, he is a frequent speaker at industry events and a mentor to aspiring engineers. Warlu's visionary approach and dedication to excellence have been crucial in propelling AppSOC's engineering capabilities and product innovation.

As a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 20 years of experience as an inventor, builder and practitioner, Mali heads product and innovation at AppSOC. Prior to this role, he built and scaled product security, data governance, and security operations teams for major organizations such as Finastra, Honeywell and Home Depot, ensuring alignment with industry best practices, frameworks, and regulatory requirements. Mali also previously designed and developed data protection and key management solutions at CipherCloud. He holds a PhD in Cryptography and a Master’s in Information Security.

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As Chief Marketing Officer, Willy brings over twenty years of cybersecurity experience focusing on product innovation, close collaboration with enterprise customers, and delivering effective security solutions to support the rapidly evolving market. He has extensive experience in multiple security domains including application security, threat intelligence, security automation, cloud data protection, authentication, encryption, and compliance. A graduate of Stanford University, he has led teams at Cyware, LogicHub, Virsec, CipherCloud, Websense, and Axway, he is a published author on a range of security topics, webcast host, and a frequent speaker at industry events. In his spare time, Willy is an avid skier, furniture builder, and traveler.

As VP Sales, Nick is responsible for directing the global business for the AppSOC ASPM and AI Security portfolio, supporting customers and partners. In his role, Nick brings over 30 years of technology experience to help customers deliver on their application security and AI security journeys by increasing efficiencies and reducing risk. Prior to AppSOC, Nick,held senior EMEA and global sales leadership positions with cyber security vendors including Lookout, CipherCloud, NextPlane, Actiance (formerly FaceTime), and Finjan Software. While based in the UK, Nick’s career has seen him living in Silicon Valley as well as Scandinavia. As a keen SCUBA diver and certified PADI Rescue Diver, Nick spends as much time under the water as time allows.

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Armin Rishi is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in building strategic alliances and driving business growth in the cybersecurity, computer networking, and cloud services sectors. As the Vice President of Alliances at AppSOC, he plays a pivotal role in forging and nurturing partnerships that enhance the company's market reach and innovation. Armin's dedication to creating strong alliances has been instrumental to AppSOC's growth and success. With a career spanning over two decades in software engineering, product management and business development roles at market leading technology firms including Cisco, Intel, Juniper Networks, and Avaya, Armin has a proven track record in building and taking products to market and developing successful collaborations to grow revenue and realize strategic objectives. Armin has an MS from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Columbia Business School (joint program with UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business).