10 Things You Didn’t Know about Mike DeCesare
Michael DeCesare is the CEO and President of Forescout. He has over 25 years experience in management in the technology industry. Here are ten things about him that you may not know.
1. He Attended Villanova University
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Villanova University. He told Medium that this sets him apart from many other CEOs, who tend to have an MBA from Harvard. He learnt everything he knows about the technology industry from the jobs that he has had within it. He admits that he was not the best student while he was at school or college, but once he started working he became very serious about progressing his career.
2. He Worked For McAfee Before Joining Forescout
He had a long career in the technology industry before joining Forescout. This began when he started working for Oracle after he left college. He worked his way up to the position of Vice President while working here. After he left this company he started working for McAfee. He had been working for the company for four years when he was appointed President, and he oversaw a great deal of growth at the company in this time. This was a role that he held for a further four years before being offered the position of CEO at Forescout.
3. He Is A Board Member Of SecureAuth
His reputation of being one of the key figures in cyber security means that he is often approached by companies to work with them. He had only been working at Forescout for a few months when he was invited to join the Board of Directors at SecureAuth. SecureAuth offer identity and information security services and they felt they had a lot to learn from Michael’s experience. He was also excited about the opportunity to get involved in the challenges of preventing online accounts being accessed by people who don’t have authorization.
4. He Regularly Contributes To The Forescout Blog
He makes regular contributions to the Forescout blog. This allows him to share the benefit of his knowledge with others. Some of his most recent posts on the site talk about how the company has been able to help keep essential services such as courts and transport networks open in New Jersey during the pandemic. He is one of the main contributors to the blog, and it is obviously something that he enjoys doing.
5. He Encourages Events To Be Held At Forescout Which Brings The Team Together
Forescout regularly hold special events which helps to bring the team that work there together. These events continued to be held during the pandemic and were held virtually. Recent events have included a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, and charity days where staff raise money for good causes and donate food to local hospitals. These types of events help to bring the whole team together and it is something that Forescout consider very important. Michael also attends conferences on a regular basis as a speaker, and this is something else that has been held online recently.
6. He Has A Net Worth Of $37 Million
His estimated net worth is $37 million. The majority of this wealth would have come from the management positions that he has held throughout his career. As well as receiving a salary from Forescout, he has also received shares of the company as part of his salary package. He has been able to sell some of these shares which have provided a boost to his overall net worth. He does still own shares in the company, and if these grow in value in the coming years, then it is very likely that his net worth will increase.
7. He Is A Big Fan Of Music
He is a big fan of music, and admits that he has a very eclectic taste. The meeting rooms at Forescout are all named after some of the favorite artists of employees of the company. Michael plays guitar in his spare time and like to listen to music when he has time to relax. It is also another way that he is able to bond with this children, as they introduce him to new music and then they can all listen together. Music is one of his greatest passions outside of work and so he also uses it as a bit of escapism during stressful times at work.
8. He Supports The Golden State Warriors Basketball Team
He is a basketball fan and follows the Golden State Warriors. CNBC point out that the Warriors have a lot of fans in Silicon Valley and that they make good use of these connections to use technology to improve their game. He has recently spoken out in support of the stance the team has taken in the encouragement of the Black Lives Matter movement.
9. He Is Based In San Francisco
Forescout is based in San Francisco and this is also where Michael lives. It is no surprise that he chooses to live so close the heart of Silicon Valley. A large part of his job as CEO involves networking with other tech companies and so it helps that they are all in the same place. He does have to spend a fair bit of his time traveling, and so when he is home, it is good for him to know that he will not have to spend a long time commuting into work.
10. He Has Three Children
He has three children, one son and two daughters. They are all grown up now and at college, but Michael still remains close to all three of them. They all have their own interests and he is happy to spend time with them doing the things that they love. His daughters are also big fans of basketball and so they try to get to as many games as possible. He and his son share a love of cooking, and so this is something they try to do together as often as they can.