THE ANTIVIRUS GUARDIAN COMPANY Symantec, Chairman, President and CEO NET WORTH $3.5 million AGE 50 E-MAIL jwthompson@symantec.com BIO Thompson assumed the top post at Symantec, which makes software for combatting
computer viruses, in April after working for 28 years at IBM. He immediately
attracted attention as the only African-American CEO of a major Silicon Valley
company, especially as he was hired just after Jesse Jackson toured the area
protesting the slim minority presence in the tech world. But Thompson has
downplayed the subject, focusing instead on keeping Symantec's forward momentum.
The company has grown steadily this year, even as competitor Network Associates
has seen its market cap shrink drastically. One of Thompson's goals is to create
a brand identity for Symantec as strong as that of its Norton Utilities product
line. To that end, he spun off a division that makes tools for software
developers, allowing Symantec to focus more on security. BEST LINE "The real issue here is the degree to which I'm able to help the team
at Symantec and the shareholders of Symantec. If we do well there, then perhaps
that is an indication to all that the color of your skin has absolutely nothing
to do with your capability to perform." FORWARD TILT Thompson plans to go after more corporate customers with products
tailored to servers.
