Vince Steckler

Vincent Steckler (18 October 1958 – 15 June 2021) was an American businessman and CEO of Avast Software.

Vince Steckler
Born18 October 1958[1]
Los Angeles, California, US
Died14 June 2021(2021-06-14) (aged 62)
Irvine, California, US
EducationUniversity of California, Irvine
OccupationBusinessman
TitleFormer CEO of Avast
Term2009–2019
SuccessorOndřej Vlček
Children5

Early life

Steckler was born in Los Angeles, but moved to Garden Grove, Orange County at the age of two.[2] He earned two bachelor's degrees—one in mathematics and the other in information and computer science from the University of California, Irvine.[2][3] After graduating, he worked as a programmer, developing nuclear weapons software for the United States.[4]

Career

Steckler was investigated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for six years in an "accounting scandal", which he eventually settled for $35,000.[5][6] When working for Logicon he was responsible for a $7 million order with Legato Systems "that was cancelled yet found its way onto the books".[5]

Steckler joined Symantec in 2000,[5] rising to vice president of Japan and Asia Pacific.[3]

Steckler was appointed CEO of Avast in 2009.[3] He has been credited for the rise in the company's growth, bringing its revenue from 20 to 800 million dollars. Under his leadership, Avast went public in the London Stock Exchange in 2018.[7][8]

In 2018, he was given the Best CEO in the Cybersecurity Industry award by the European CEO Awards. He retired on 30 June 2019, citing the need for a "better work-life balance"[9] and was succeeded as CEO by Ondřej Vlček, Avast's consumer business president.[10] In May 2021, he joined the board of Nord Security, the company that develops NordVPN.[11]

After retirement, Steckler was active in philanthropy, donating over $10 million to UC Irvine.[12] He was a financial backer of the Magical Bridge organization, a charity that constructs socially inclusive playgrounds.[13]

Personal life

Steckler was married with five children.[14] His wife, Amanda was born in Singapore, and they met there.[2][14]

Death

On June 15, 2021, Steckler was driving in Irvine when he was fatally struck by another car.[7]

References
  1. "Vincent W Steckler, Born 10/18/1958 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". www.californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  2. "Building a Unicorn from Prague: Avast CEO Vince Steckler (Part 1) - Sramana Mitra". sramanamitra.com. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  3. "Executive Profile: Vincent Steckler". Bloomberg LP. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  4. International, Forbes. "The Story Behind Avast: One Of Europe's Biggest Tech IPOs Of 2018". Forbes. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  5. Murphy, Margi (12 April 2018). "Antivirus chief behind massive technology float Avast barred from publicly addressing accounting scandal". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  6. Litigation Release No. 19385 / September 21, 2005 sec.org
  7. "Former Avast CEO Vince Steckler, 1958 - 2021". AP NEWS. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  8. "Former Avast CEO Steckler Dies Unexpectedly In Irvine - socaltech.com". www.socaltech.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  9. Duke, Simon. "Avast boss jumps ship after ten years to put family first". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  10. Burke, Steven (13 March 2019). "Avast CEO Vince Steckler Retiring; Incoming CEO Ondrej Vlcek Hailed As 'Secret Sauce'". CRN. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  11. Security, Nord (19 May 2021). "Vince Steckler becomes Nord Security's first Independent Board Member". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  12. Nguyen, Lilly (12 January 2021). "UC Irvine receives $10.4-million donation for art history, center for inclusive computing". Daily Pilot. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  13. Staff (22 June 2021). "Vincent Stecker, former Avast CEO and staunch Magical Bridge supporter, dies". Climate Online. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  14. "Former Symantec Executive Named CEO of the Makers of avast!". marketwired.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
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