Fortinet Appoints Public Sector Leader and Tech Executive Derek Kan to Its Board of Directors

• 02 Jul 2026
• TM Team
• 0 Comments

Fortinet, the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the appointment of Derek Kan to its board of directors, contributing his deep expertise in scaling technology businesses, deploying AI, and governing large-scale, capital-intensive operations across the public and private sectors.

Derek is a seasoned public-company board member, senior executive, and company builder. His appointment further strengthens Fortinet's board with distinguished leadership experience across technology innovation and public policy.

Derek brings a powerful combination of technology leadership, AI deployment experience, and public-sector governance to Fortinet’s board. As cybersecurity becomes increasingly central to enterprise and national security, Derek’s background navigating complex regulatory environments, overseeing critical infrastructure, and driving technology transformation at scale will be an invaluable asset.

Ken Xie, Founder, Chairman of the Board, and CEO of Fortinet, said, “Cybersecurity sits at the intersection of technology, policy, and national security, and Fortinet is a clear leader in that space,” said Derek Kan. “I’ve spent my career operating at this intersection, deploying AI at scale, and navigating the regulatory and policy environments that shape how technology gets built and adopted. I look forward to working with Fortinet’s board and leadership team as cybersecurity becomes a foundational infrastructure challenge of the AI era.”

Derek most recently served as an executive at Shopify following the 2022 acquisition of his company, Deliverr, for $2.4 billion, holding vice president roles across global customer support, business operations, and global marketing, where he led enterprise-wide AI deployment across customer experience and operations. He currently serves as an advisor to Shopify and as a senior advisor at Duration Capital. Serving in a variety of senior roles, Derek has been nominated by three presidents and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on four separate occasions. Earlier in his career, he served as deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he managed the federal government’s more than $4 trillion budget. As the U.S. Under Secretary of Transportation, the department’s third-highest-ranking official, Derek oversaw national transportation policy and regulatory frameworks for emerging technologies, including autonomous vehicles. He also served on Amtrak’s board of directors, helping govern the largest capital investment plan in the organization’s history.

Derek also serves on the boards of Toll Brothers, Globe Life Insurance Inc, and Oklo Inc, and as vice chairman of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors. Derek holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he graduated as an Arjay Miller Scholar.