John Engates

John Engates is the Field Chief Technology Officer at Cloudflare, a position he has held since September 2021. In this role, he leads the Field CTO organization, focusing on various aspects of technology including Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), networking as a service, zero trust security, DDoS protection, bot management, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.1

Professional Background

Before joining Cloudflare, Engates had a significant tenure at Rackspace, where he served as Chief Technology Officer from 2002 to 2018. During his time there, he was instrumental in shaping the company's technology vision and played a key role in its growth from a startup to a leading managed cloud services provider. He also held various positions at Rackspace, including Vice President of Operations and was involved in the development of OpenStack.1

Engates is also active in the community, serving on the Board of Directors for James Avery Artisan Jewelry since 2018 and as an advisory board member for Potrero Medical. Additionally, he has been a mentor and investor with Techstars since 2012, supporting startups in the San Antonio area.1

Education

Engates holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from The University of Texas at San Antonio, where he studied from 1992 to 1994. He also attended The University of Texas at Austin earlier in his academic career.1

Overall, John Engates is a seasoned technology executive with extensive experience in cloud services, cybersecurity, and operational leadership.