# Christopher Slatt

> Christopher G. Slatt is the co-founder and former chairman and CEO of WatchGuard Technologies, and co-founder and executive chairman of Starfire Sports. After a technology career that included Boeing and Legent, he helped establish Starfire in Tukwila to widen access to soccer. He and his wife, Jeanine, also established an undergraduate energy-research fellowship at the University of Notre Dame.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Executive Chairman at Starfire Sports
- **Organizations:** Starfire Sports, WatchGuard Technologies, Napera Networks, Legent Corporation, Boeing
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame
- **Known for:** Co-founded WatchGuard Technologies and led it through its 1999 public listing., Co-founded Starfire Sports, a nonprofit social enterprise operating a 54-acre campus in Tukwila., With Jeanine Slatt, established an undergraduate energy-research fellowship in honor of his father, Vincent P. Slatt.

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in electrical engineering.
- **Before 1993** — Worked as a Boeing executive on computer-system projects for NASA and Con Edison.
- **1993-1995** — Vice president and general manager at Legent Corporation, September 1993 to October 1995.
- **1996** — Co-founded WatchGuard in February and became its first president and CEO.
- **1999** — Became WatchGuard chairman in April; WatchGuard went public in July.
- **2001** — Presidency ended in July; CEO tenure ended in November, when Jim Cady succeeded him.
- **2003** — Launched Starfire Sports with Steve Beck and Mark Bickham.
- **2005** — Starfire celebrated the grand opening of its completed complex in April.
- **2006** — Christopher and Jeanine Slatt established the Vincent P. Slatt undergraduate research fellowship at Notre Dame.
- **2008** — Publicly identified as chairman of Napera Networks.
- **2023** — Appeared with Starfire co-founders at the October 24 twentieth-anniversary celebration.
- **2025** — As Starfire executive chair, welcomed Prakash Panjwani to its board.

## Achievements

- Co-founded WatchGuard Technologies and led it through its 1999 public listing.
- Co-founded Starfire Sports, a nonprofit social enterprise operating a 54-acre campus in Tukwila.
- With Jeanine Slatt, established an undergraduate energy-research fellowship in honor of his father, Vincent P. Slatt.

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — Starfire announced former WatchGuard CEO Prakash Panjwani’s appointment to its board; Slatt welcomed him as co-founder and executive chair.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisslatt

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/christopher-slatt
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14