New CISO appointments, May 2023
Former Twitter CISO Lea Kissner named CISO of Lacework
Cloud security company Lacework has appointed Lea Kissner as its new chief information security officer. The former Twitter CISO will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of Lacework’s overall security strategy and programs. Kissner has worked in cybersecurity for more than 20 years including as chief privacy officer at Humu and global lead of privacy technology at Google.
Maria Milosavljevic to become chief information security officer at ANZ
Former Services Australia CISO and chief data officer Maria Milosavljevic has been appointed CISO of ANZ Banking Group, replacing Lynwen Connick, who will retire in October. Milosavljevic is currently the chief data integration officer at the Australian Department of Defence. Milosavljevic will be responsible for ensuring ANZ’s information security strategy continues to address the challenging cyber security landscape and supports the bank’s digital transformation. She will begin working at ANZ on Monday, August 28.
Lee Buttke named CISO of AgileBlue
AgileBlue, an autonomous cyber security operations center (SOC) and security orchestration and automated response (SOAR) platform, has named Lee Buttke as its new chief information security officer. Buttke will also take a position as managing director at AgileBlue. Buttke has held positions as director of risk, security, and privacy at Online Business Systems and director at penetration testing firm NetSPI and is the former president of software and professional services provider Truonix.
Security and compliance automation platform Drata appoints Matt Hilary as vice president of security and CISO
Matt Hilary has been named vice president of security and CISO at Security and compliance automation platform Drata. Hilary was formerly senior vice president systems and security and CISO at Lumio and previously held CISO and lead security roles at Weave and Workfront, Instructure, Adobe, MX, and Amazon Web Services.
Bill O’Hern named CISO of Travelers
Former AT&T chief security officer Bill O’Hern has been appointed as a senior vice president and CISO of insurance firm Travelers. O’Hern spent more than 20 years in security-related roles at AT&T and was previously general manager for the Midwest US region at Handex Environmental.
Earl Duby appointed CISO at Auxiom
Earl Duby has been named the first-ever CISO of Michigan-based managed service provider Auxiom. A CSO50 Award winner, Duby was formerly CISO of Lear Corp. and has two decades of experience in cybersecurity, including leadership roles at GE, Affina Group, and Federal Mogul.
New CISO appointments, April 2023
UK appoints Anne Keast-Butler as first female GCHQ director
The UK government has appointed Anne Keast-Butler as the new director of intelligence, security, and cyber agency Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). Keast-Butler was appointed following a cross-government recruitment process and will succeed Sir Jeremy Fleming, who is stepping down after six years in the role. Keast-Butler, currently serving as deputy director general at domestic counterintelligence and security agency MI5, will become the first female director of GCHQ. She will take up her post in May.
Bryce Carter becomes first CISO of Arlington, Texas
Bryce Carter has been appointed as the first chief information security officer for the city of Arlington, Texas. Mr. Carter was previously a senior information security analyst for Bellingham, Washington, and has served in senior security-related roles in Miami County, Kansas, and at companies including Clover Security Advisors, United Release, and FlyPage. In a statement, Mr. Carter said he intends to “communicate security in a way that everyone can understand” and will focus on creating an enterprise-wide security program, reducing security outsourcing.
Brian Contos appointed chief strategy officer at Sevco Security
Cyber asset attack surface management (CAASM) company Sevco Security has appointed Brian Contos as its chief strategy officer. Mr. Contos is a 25-year veteran of the security industry, having served previously as CISO at Verodin “Enemy at the Water Cooler” and a co-author of “Physical & Logical Security Convergence.” Mr. Contos said he believes security “needs a disruptive approach. Sevco Security fundamentally changes how organizations get value from their existing security and IT operations investments by having the most accurate and timely asset intelligence.”
James Hill named CISO of cloud infrastructure software developer CYTRACOM
James Hill has been appointed as CISO of CYTRACOM. Mr. Hill has 20 years of experience in “business development, cybersecurity, people development, and technical expertise,” according to a statement. His role at the company will be to ensure CYTRACOM and its employees are working securely, minimizing exposure and risk with an effective and sustainable cybersecurity strategy and program.
IntelePeer appoints Gary Starling as new CISO
Communications Automation provider IntelePeer has named Gary Starling as CISO. Mr. Starling recently served as vice president of IT and security at IntelePeer and led the company’s compliance program. Mr. Startling was previously interim CIO, assistant vice chancellor of IT infrastructure, and CISO, at the University of Denver. He also served as director of global IT, networks and security for EchoStar/Hughes Network Systems and was an avionics communications systems specialist in the US Air Force and as telecommunications specialist, tech control for NORAD. He has been tasked with streamlining IT and security solutions across IntelePeer’s business units, steering the company to develop a high-performance security team in opposition to new and emerging threats.
New CISO appointments, March 2023
Andrea Simpson named CISO of Howard University
Ms. Simpson, a highly regarded expert in cybersecurity, has more than 20 years of professional experience in the industry. She has held the CISO role with the Federal Communications Commission, where she directed the pilot program for government-issued laptop deployment for the agency’s telework initiative as part of its pandemic response plan, and AmeriCorps. Simpson says working at Howard will help her create a space for young adults to gain hands-on cyber experience.
Meredith Griffanti appointed as global head of cybersecurity and data privacy communications at FTI
Ms. Griffanti, who is based in New York, will oversee the growth of FTI Consulting’s cybersecurity communications capabilities. She most recently served as Americas co-leader of cybersecurity and data privacy communications at the business consulting firm, specializing in crisis communications during incident response and cybersecurity preparedness planning. Ms. Griffanti will focus on partnering with leaders and teams globally to further strengthen the firm’s holistic cybersecurity communications capabilities and enhance new levels of collaboration to support clients.
Sebastian Welsh appointed CISO of energy technology company SwitchDin
Mr. Welsh becomes the first CISO at SwitchDin and will work to establish security frameworks for emerging technologies. With 17 years of experience as a leader specializing in building a whole-of-enterprise defense model within businesses, he held roles as the head of security at Canva and staff security engineer at Google before joining SwitchDin.
Joshua Reedy becomes new CISO at New Zealand technology services firm Kordia
Mr. Reedy will take responsibility for Kordia’s Group’s internal cyber security posture, integrating best practices and leading a team of security specialists. He was previously security services manager at Vodaphone, where he oversaw security operations, design, and delivery and led internal offensive security teams.
David Dunn named CISO at global risk and financial advisory service provider Kroll
Mr. Dunn, who had served as deputy CISO at Kroll since 2016, is tasked with continuing to strengthen the firm’s security program to address the evolving and complex threat landscape. With more than 25 years of experience, he was previously a member of the US Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force — where he was a lead investigator on an international stolen credit cards scam involving millions of dollars — and is also a 19-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department.
Jaya Baloo named CSO at cloud threat detection provider Rapid7
Ms. Baloo will be tasked with strengthening Rapid7’s internal security program and furthering the company’s mission to deliver greater access to cybersecurity across industries. With more than 20 years of cybersecurity experience, she has previously held roles at Avast and was CISO at Dutch telecom firm KPN. Ms. Baloo is a member of the advisory boards of The Netherlands National Cyber Security Centre and the EU Quantum Flagship’s Strategic Advisory Board.
New CISO appointments, February 2023
Doug Clare appointed as head of cyber strategy for ISS Corporate Solutions
Mr. Clare will assume overall responsibility for ICS’ cyber solutions strategy, including evolving its cyber risk-related offerings and client experience. He will also lead the cyber-risk product and client teams tasked with enhancing and expanding ICS’ risk monitoring and broader suite of related products. He has more than 25 years of experience at Fair Isaac (FICO) and served most recently as FICO’s vice president of fraud, compliance, and authentication solutions.
Keith Anderson named CISO of JetBlue
Mr. Anderson will oversee JetBlue’s information security and will oversee the airline’s strategies, policies and procedures designed to minimize information security risk and proactively detect and address new threats. He previously served as CISO at Warner Bros. Discovery and held security leadership roles at AT&T, Goldman Sachs, and Citi. Mr. Anderson holds a master’s degree in cybersecurity from New York University and a master’s degree in management information systems from Stevens Institute of Technology.
Melissa Knight appointed as CISO of Tego Cyber
Cybersecurity software-as-a-service provider Tego Cyber has named Melissa Knight as chief information security officer. Ms. Knight has been as CISO and cybersecurity executive for 20 years, working in government and commercial sectors. She has held leadership roles with the US Department of Defense and US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration security operations teams. She has also worked at Sands Corp., Herjavec Group, and Brier & Thorn.
Mike Housch named CISO of banking digital transformation solutions provider Q2 Holdings
Mr. Housch has more than 25 years of security experience in the financial technology sector. He previously served as CISO for Black Night and as information security officer for Lender Processing Services. He spent more than 10 years as chief information officer at First Federal Bank of Florida.
John Paul Cunningham joins identity protection firm Silverfort as CISO
Mr. Cunningham brings more than 24 years of experience managing cyber risk, building operating models designed to reduce cost and cyber risk, while also adhering to compliance standards as CISO at Bank of Hope, Docupace, Ares Management and J.P. Morgan Asset Management. He will design and implement Silverfort’s cybersecurity program.
Claudia Plattner appointed as President of German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI)
Ms. Plattner is formerly Director General Information Systems of the European Central Bank (ECB) and was chief information officer at DB Systel, the IT provider for Deutsche Bahn. She is the first female president to be named to the role at BSI. She will begin in the position on 1 July 2023. Plattner replaces former president Arne Sch?nbohm, who was dismissed in October over allegations of ties with Russian intelligence agencies.
Heather Lowrie appointed as first CISO for the University of Manchester
Ms. Lowrie will lead the strategic transformation of information security and identity and access management services at the University of Manchester and will design and implement a vision for the protection of the university’s digital footprint. She formerly held the position of head of cybersecurity, risk, and resilience for National Records of Scotland. Ms. Lowrie provided cybersecurity assurance, oversight, and operational management for Scotland’s first digital-first census. She will join the university at the start of May 2023.
New CISO appointments, January 2023
Chris Hodson hired as CSO at Cyberhaven
Mr. Hodson will be responsible for all areas of security to protect both employees and customers. This includes cloud and application security, operations, and risk management. He comes to data detection and response solution vendor Cyberhaven from Contentful, and previously has held CISO roles at Tanium and Zscaler. Mr. Hodson is a board advisor at workforce development platform Cybrary and a fellow at the Chartered Institute of Information Security. He is also the author of the book Cyber Risk Management.
Amanda Fennel named CISO and CIO at Prove Identity
Ms. Fennel will oversee security operations at Prove, a provider of digital identity solutions. She will also play a role in educating the security market about digital identity authentication technologies. She was previously CISO and CIO at Relativity and earlier had worked in digital forensics and cybersecurity at companies such as Symantec, Dell SecureWorks, Zurich Insurance Group, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Guidance Software.
Harold Rivas joins Trellix as CISO
Mr. Rivas will lead the extended detection and response vendor’s global security and compliance initiatives. He comes to Trellix from LoanDepot, where he served as CISO. Prior to that, Mr. Rivas’s 20-plus-year career include senior information security roles at Santander Consumer, Fujitsu America, and Citigroup. He is also a member of the FBI InfraGard.
