REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Aug. 06, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Imperva, Inc. (NYSE:IMPV), committed to protecting business-critical data and applications in the cloud and on-premises, announced today that Brett Hooper has been appointed as the company’s senior vice president of People. In this role, Mr. Hooper will oversee the development and implementation of the global human resources function at Imperva, including talent acquisition, human capital development, workforce planning and administration. He will report directly to Anthony Bettencourt, chief executive officer of Imperva.

“I am very excited to have someone of Brett’s capability join our team,” said Anthony Bettencourt, chief executive officer of Imperva. “He has an outstanding track record of designing and leading employee programs to support business growth and building smart processes in HR operations. Talent alignment is a key imperative for Imperva as we continue on our journey to help protect the data, apps and commerce of our customers. His experience will be valuable in our continued growth.”

Mr. Hooper joins Imperva from JDS Uniphase, where he held SVP and VP roles in Human Resources from 2006 to 2015 and was responsible for successfully evolving the company’s talent strategy, including hiring, development, succession planning and performance evaluation, by prioritizing HR programs that aligned with business goals and improved employee productivity and engagement.  Prior to that, he served in the same capacity for Credence Systems Corporation which he joined through the 2004 acquisition of NPTest where he held the role of vice president, Human Resources and Communications. Earlier in his career, Hooper served in a variety of roles at Schlumberger including Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Investor Relations, and Human Resources Management.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin.

“Cyber security is on the minds of executives round the globe and is a great concern to all.  It’s an exciting time to join Imperva.  Talent acquisition, development and management are critical to the growth of the industry and the ongoing leadership position that Imperva has gained in the market,” said Hooper.  “I am ready to jump in and contribute to the world-class leadership team that Anthony has put together, to help drive continued performance and operational excellence while making Imperva a great place to work for the team at all levels,” said Hooper. 

Pursuant to NYSE rules regarding the disclosure of grants issued outside of stockholder approved plans: In connection with the appointment of Mr. Hooper as the new Senior Vice President of People of Imperva, the compensation committee of the board of directors awarded Mr. Hooper a non‑qualified stock option to purchase 25,000 shares of common stock of Imperva and 25,000 restricted stock units (RSUs) pursuant to an Inducement Stock Option Plan and Agreement and an Inducement Restricted Stock Unit Plan and Agreement, each of which is a non‑stockholder approved plan. The stock option will be granted to Mr. Hooper on August 7, 2015 and will have an exercise price equal to the closing price of Imperva’s common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such date.  Mr. Hooper’s stock option and RSUs will vest at the rate of 25% of the shares on (i) the first anniversary of the commencement of Mr. Hooper’s employment with the Company in the case of the stock option and (ii) August 15, 2016, in the case of the RSUs, and then 6.25% of the shares quarterly thereafter for both the stock option and the RSUs, subject to Mr. Hooper’s continued provision of services to Imperva.  The option and RSUs were granted as an inducement material to Mr. Hooper’s employment in accordance with NYSE Rule 303A.08.

About Imperva
Imperva^® (NYSE:IMPV), is a leading provider of cyber security solutions that protect business-critical data and applications. The company’s SecureSphere, Incapsula and Skyfence product lines enable organizations to discover assets and risks, protect information wherever it lives – in the cloud and on-premises – and comply with regulations. The Imperva Application Defense Center, a research team comprised of some of the world’s leading experts in data and application security, continually enhances Imperva products with up-to-the minute threat intelligence, and publishes reports that provide insight and guidance on the latest threats and how to mitigate them. Imperva is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California. Learn more: www.imperva.com, our blog, on Twitter.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including without limitation those regarding talent acquisition, development and management being critical to growth of the industry and maintaining Imperva’s leadership position in the market. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent only Imperva’s belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside Imperva’s control, and are subject to material risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ substantially from expectations. Investors should consider important risk factors, which include: the risk that the company is unable to attract and retain key technical and management personnel; the risk that demand for our cyber security solutions may not increase and may decrease; the risk that we may not timely introduce new products or versions of our products and that they may not be accepted by the market; the risk that competitors may be perceived by customers to be better positioned to help handle cyber security threats and protect their businesses from major risk; the risk that the growth of Imperva may be lower than anticipated; and other risks detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the company’s Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on May 11, 2015 and the company’s other SEC filings. You can obtain copies of the company’s SEC filings on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

© 2015 Imperva, Inc. All rights reserved. Imperva, the Imperva logo, SecureSphere, Incapsula and Skyfence are trademarks of Imperva, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Winifred Shum Imperva winifred.shum@imperva.com Edelman imperva@edelman.com

Imperva Inc.