Secure access service edge (SASE) vendor Cato Networks lost one of its channel executives.

Mark Draper, VP of its Europe, Middle East, and Asia (EMEA) channel, departed the vendor after seven years. Draper announced his move this week on LinkedIn, writing: "This week marks the end of my chapter at Cato Networks. Leaving an organization that has shaped so much of my professional journey isn't easy, but I leave with immense gratitude, a lot of pride, and huge respect for the people who make Cato what it is.

"As one of the first hires in Europe, building and leading the EMEA channel organization during a period of exponential growth has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career," Draper continued. "Watching this company scale, innovate, and continually raise the bar has been inspiring, and I'm pleased to have played a small part in that story."

The London-based executive, who did not share his next position in the post, began at Cato as its EMEA channel director in 2019. He joined the firm following another European sales gig for cloud security firm Gigamon.

That role was preceded by a senior management stint at Juniper Networks, tending to its United Kingdom and Ireland (UK&I) channel between 2012 and 2017. Draper also served as partner account manager for Juniper Networks for five years, leaving to join FireEye for a year before returning to the Juniper fold.

Draper also held an account management position at Cisco, where he worked between 2004 and 2006.

Draper's move follows Cato's hiring of Fortinet alum Jaime Romero as its new chief marketing officer, a move positioned as part of the vendor's next chapter of AI-fueled scale.

CEO Shlomo Kramer told SDxCentral last year that Cato sees the next wave in security as AI transformation, something which spurred the firm’s first-ever acquisition when it snapped up AI cybersecurity firm AIM Security in September for a reported $350 million.

Kramer also described SASE as a $100 billion opportunity for Cato, citing Gartner’s prediction that 60% of enterprises will implement the tech in the next three years.

Draper's replacement is yet to be announced.