STAMFORD, CT – January 14, 2025
Protegrity Names Silicon Valley Veteran Michael Howard as CEO
Protegrity, a global leader in data security and privacy, today announced Michael Howard as Chief Executive Officer. Marked by a proven track record of driving innovation and transforming businesses into global powerhouses. Howard’s experience across enterprise software, specializing in database management, cloud computing, security, machine learning, and Generative AI, will prove invaluable as he leads Protegrity into its next phase of growth. Most recently, Howard led groundbreaking software initiatives in Deep tech at RoadRunner Ventures Studio and in Text-to Analytics at Bodo.ai. Prior to this, Michael served as CEO at MariaDB, where he evolved MariaDB into a global brand, a top 5 database, used by 75% of the Fortune 500, and reaching 60m+ users via Linux Distros. While Howard has become a fierce advocate of Open-Source and Source-Available licenses, he has years of experience leading proprietary product lines at Oracle, Veritas, EMC, and C9.
As security threats adapt and increase, Protegrity customers will continue to secure their data and protect their own privacy under Howard’s leadership.
“The road forward for Protegrity is exciting and collaborative, and I’m pleased to be part of this new journey with our customers and partners,” said Howard. “Protegrity’s leadership team is unafraid to challenge outdated practices and misconceptions in the industry.”
Howard’s appointment to CEO began December 9th, 2024, and preludes upcoming ventures in quantum resiliency, integrating GenAI into Protegrity data protection solutions for secure data utilization.
Other Notable Executive Changes
We are excited to announce the new Protegrity Product team leadership.
- Anthony Cammarano, Vice President, Engineering & Chief Technology Officer
Securing data that will allow our customers to confidently leverage emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence
- Slawomir Ligier, Vice President, Product Management
Focusing on prioritizing architectures and features that align with our customer’s priorities
- Selva Neethiraj, Vice President, Engineering
Focusing on engineering solutions that address customer needs with a predictable cadence
- Yigal Rozenberg, Senior Vice President of Technology
Focusing on solutions and processes that give our customers visibility into their security and the data they need to make strategic decisions for their business
Protegrity’s focus on customer expansion of the value of data while relentlessly protecting sensitive data remains our guiding principle. Data protection isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem. The unparalleled advance of the value of Generative AI for data, as well as emerging threats – like quantum computing – drive the next chapter of world-class data protection.
About Protegrity
At Protegrity, we design data protection solutions that enable our customers to expand how they use their data. We support some of the world’s most innovative organizations — including Fortune 500 leaders in finance, healthcare, and global enterprise — to push boundaries, harness the full potential of their data, and meet the most demanding compliance standards while maintaining the highest standards of security and compliance of global regulations and emerging frameworks. With technologies like tokenization, anonymization, and encryption, Protegrity ensures sensitive data is protected across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments — delivering confidence in an era of escalating threats.
From quantum-resilient security to AI-driven advancements, we’re shaping the future of data protection.
Let’s secure your data and your future. See why businesses choose us to be their data protection providers here.