Trend Micro CTO, Raimund Genes, passed away suddenly over the weekend aged 54 at his family home in Germany.
An industry veteran of over three decades, Genes was a major driving force behind the success of Trend Micro, joining the firm 21 years ago from his distributor business.
After founding Trend Micro Deutschland GmbH he went on to numerous roles in the business, including head of sales marketing and sales Europe, president of European operations and then global chief technology officer.
Throughout this time, the globe-trotting Genes was a regular on the conference circuit – a passionate and insightful cybersecurity expert who always had something new and interesting to say to the assembled masses who came to hear him speak.
Trend Micro co-founder and CEO, Eva Chen, led the tributes.
“Raimund was an exceptional human being who possessed a passion for life and for the cybersecurity industry. His sense of humor and straightforwardness motivated me each time we sat down for a conversation. He had an innate leadership quality that made people take notice of his vision and knowledge. When he spoke, he inspired people, colleagues and his teams through his direction to go out and deliver innovative work, products, customer service and research that met his high standards,” she wrote.
“For Trend Micro, his passing is an incalculable loss, as we lose not only an amazing security expert, but also a true friend and mentor. The loss for the security industry as a whole is tremendous. With 30 years in the security industry, Raimund was one of the most articulate, well-respected experts whose opinions and knowledge were sought after by organizations around the world.”
Genes will be sorely missed by his thousands of colleagues around the globe and indeed anyone who had the pleasure of working with him.
He’s survived by wife Martina and two sons.
Header image credit: @CLOUDSECtweets