Chief Strategy Officer at Kiteworks
Chief Strategy Officer at Kiteworks, and a recurring voice across founder, security, and supply-chain podcasts on why every person and every AI agent touching sensitive data needs to be governed under the same standard of control.
Tim Freestone is Chief Strategy Officer at Kiteworks, promoted in 2026 after five years leading the company's marketing and go-to-market strategy. Across more than 20 years in enterprise security and software, including senior marketing roles at Fortinet and Contrast Security, and demand strategy at NetApp, he's built a reputation as an early leader on questions the rest of the industry catches up to later.
That instinct is why he was named a "Marketing and AI Visionary" when ControlUp appointed him board advisor in 2026, and why he's become a recognized conference speaker and go-to media voice on AI governance, shadow AI risk, and board-level oversight, well ahead of most vendors making the same case. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science and communication studies from the University of Montana and is based in San Francisco.
On the mic, Tim skips the vendor pitch. He shows up with original research, a plain-language framework, and a point of view sharp enough to hold its own against a skeptical host, which is why producers keep booking him back for multi-part conversations instead of a single segment. Expect straight answers and real numbers, not talking points recycled from a press release.
Kiteworks talks about creating a control plane for governing sensitive content and data. What market failure made another secure file-sharing tool insufficient, and how does AI data governance fit into that strategy?
As AI agents begin reading, writing, and moving enterprise data autonomously, what governance gaps have emerged that traditional data security tools were not designed to address?
With regulations such as GDPR, CMMC, HIPAA, ITAR, and global sovereignty laws continuing to evolve, how do you determine which regulatory changes should influence Kiteworks' strategy and investments?
What is the most common mistake enterprises make when they add AI governance to an existing compliance program instead of designing both together from the beginning?
Why has data sovereignty become a boardroom issue, and what do organizations misunderstand about the protections provided by their cloud vendors?
Looking three years ahead, what AI and data governance risk do you believe most CISOs and compliance leaders are still underestimating?
Kiteworks helps organizations protect and govern sensitive content as it moves between people, systems, applications, AI tools, and external organizations.
The Kiteworks platform provides a unified control plane for secure email, file sharing, managed file transfer, web forms, APIs, and other sensitive data communication channels. It gives organizations greater visibility and control over who accesses sensitive information, where that information travels, and how it is used.
Kiteworks supports organizations operating in highly regulated industries and environments that require advanced security, data sovereignty, detailed audit trails, and regulatory compliance.
Its strategic focus includes AI data governance, private data exchange, regulatory compliance, third-party risk, and protecting sensitive information from both malicious activity and human error.
Growth equity investment from Insight Partners and Sixth Street Growth.
Tim Freestone brings a strategic and practical perspective on AI governance, data sovereignty, regulatory compliance, and advanced data security. He helps audiences understand how emerging technologies and regulations are changing the way organizations must protect and govern sensitive information.
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