Seattle-based cybersecurity company F5 Inc. (Nasdaq: FFIV) is bringing former Sprint CEO Michel Combes back to its board.
Combes led Sprint from 2018 to 2020 during T-Mobile's pursuit to acquire the Kansas-based telecommunications company. He previously served on F5's board from July 2018 to March 2021.
“We are pleased to welcome Michel back to the F5 board,” Alan Higginson, chair of the F5 board, said in a news release. “His experience leading some of the world’s largest telecom operators gives him unparalleled insight into a large segment of F5’s customer base."
In addition to Sprint, Combes was president at SoftBank Group International (SBGI) starting in April 2020. He was later named CEO of SBGI in January of last year but left the company after just five months at the helm.
Combes has also served as CEO of Vodafone Europe. He is also a director at the tobacco giant Phillip Morris International.
The appointment expands F5's board to 11 people, 10 of whom are independent, according to F5.
F5 was founded in 1996 and went public in 1999. The company's services include app protection, fraud prevention, network performance, and app performance and delivery.
In 2021, F5 rebranded, dropping Networks from its name. The company began as a tool to help clients smoothly run their websites but has over time moved further into the app and cloud spaces.
In April of this year, F5 laid off 623 employees, about 9% of the company. It said at the time it was reducing its office footprint to cut costs, as well.
In its third quarter fiscal year 2023 financial results, released in July, F5 reported $703 million in revenue for the quarter, up from $674 million during the same period in 2022.
