{"id":8837,"date":"2026-07-22T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/?p=8837"},"modified":"2026-07-22T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:30:00","slug":"new-ciso-appointments-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/?p=8837","title":{"rendered":"New CISO appointments 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The upper ranks of corporate security are seeing a high rate of change as companies try to adapt to the evolving threat landscape. Many companies are hiring a chief security officer (CSO) or chief information security officer<\/a> (CISO) for the first time to support a deeper commitment to information security.<\/p>\n

Follow this column to keep up with new appointments to senior-level security roles and perhaps gain a little insight into hiring trends. If you have an announcement of your own that you would like us to include here, contact Peter Sayer, executive editor of news, at\u00a0peter_sayer@foundryco.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

New CISO appointments in July 2026<\/h2>\n

Paul Adams named CISO at Blue Mountain<\/h3>\n

Blue Mountain appointed Paul Adams<\/a> as CISO. Adams brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in SaaS and technology spanning enterprise security strategy, security architecture, and cloud infrastructure to the enterprise asset management software maker.<\/p>\n

Solana Foundation names Michael Coates as first CISO<\/h3>\n

The Solana Foundation hired Michael Coates<\/a> to be its first chief information security officer. Coates brings two decades of cybersecurity leadership, including roles at Mozilla, Twitter, Shape Security, and the OWASP Foundation, and will focus on ecosystem security, malicious uses of AI and crypto-specific threats.<\/p>\n

Ravi Thatavarthy joins Primo Brands as CISO<\/h3>\n

Primo Brands hired Ravi Thatavarthy<\/a> as chief information security officer to oversee the company\u2019s cybersecurity and IT efforts and strengthen its security and technology foundation. He brings extensive digital security and technology leadership experience across major retail and consumer goods brands.<\/p>\n

Datavault AI appoints Barry Childe CISO<\/h3>\n

Barry Childe, a co-founder of quantum encryption company Arqit, has joined Datavault AI as CISO. Childe previously served as a distinguished engineer at HSBC, and held other senior technology roles at Barclays Capital and VMware.<\/p>\n

Jason Cradit joins EverLine as CISO and CTO<\/h3>\n

Critical infrastructure technical services provider EverLine has hired Jason Cradit<\/a> as CISO and CTO. Cradit has previously held leadership roles in consulting, software, and infrastructure operations, and founded software vendor Pivvot.<\/p>\n

New CISO appointments in June 2026<\/h2>\n

Infoblox names Henrik Smith CISO<\/h3>\n

Former Amazon executive Henrik Smith has joined security platform vendor Infoblox<\/a> as CISO. Smith most recently served as head of security for devices and systems at Amazon, and prior to that was vice-president of security at Salesforce.<\/p>\n

GitLab hires Chaim Mazal as CISO<\/h3>\n

Chaim Mazal, previously chief AI and security officer at Gigamon, has joined GitLab<\/a> as CISO. He\u2019s been a GitLab customer for over eight years, and moved into the CISO role after serving on the company\u2019s advisory board.<\/p>\n

Paras Malhotra joins Starburst as CISO<\/h3>\n

Enterprise intelligence platform Starburst has hired Paras Malhotra<\/a> as CISO. He previously served as senior director of information security at Datadog and, prior to that, held a variety of security roles at Amazon Web Services.<\/p>\n

Socure hires Mark Carter as CISO<\/h3>\n

Mark Carter has joined identity infrastructure provider Socure<\/a> as CISO. He has previously worked as CISO at Navan, Tesla, and Vimeo.<\/p>\n

SolarWinds appoints Justin Henkel as CISO<\/h3>\n

IT management software vendor SolarWinds has named Justin Henkel<\/a> its new CISO. Henkel was previously deputy CISO at OneTrust, and before that spent 25 years as an intelligence officer in the US Air Force.<\/p>\n

Uber taps Philip Martin as security chief<\/h3>\n

Uber appointed Philip Martin as CISO<\/a>, strengthening the company\u2019s cybersecurity and digital trust leadership as it continues to expand its global mobility, delivery, and logistics operations.<\/p>\n

Ali Waezzadah named CISO at iCOUNTER<\/h3>\n

iCOUNTER appointed Ali Waezzadah<\/a> as chief information security officer, a respected cybersecurity executive with more than 20 years of experience leading security transformations across critical infrastructure, media, government, and enterprise environments.<\/p>\n

Roger Hale joins 1Kosmos as CISO<\/h3>\n

1Kosmos appointed Roger Hale<\/a> as chief information security officer, bringing more than two decades of executive management experience with global cybersecurity companies.<\/p>\n

Jacob Berry appointed CISO at Fable Security<\/h3>\n

Fable Security appointed Jacob Berry<\/a> as chief information security officer. Berry brings 18 years of experience across technology and cybersecurity, with background in incident response, cyber operations, governance, and compliance to the human risk management vendor.<\/p>\n

Novant Health promotes Srini Uppugonduri to CISO<\/h3>\n

Novant Health promoted cybersecurity leader Srini Uppugonduri<\/a> to senior vice president and CISO. He brings more than two decades leading enterprise cybersecurity, infrastructure, and technology operations across complex healthcare organizations with expertise in cyber engineering, threat intelligence, and resilience efforts.<\/p>\n

US Bank appoints Ann Barron-DiCamillo as global CISO<\/h3>\n

US Bank appointed Ann Barron-DiCamillo<\/a> as executive vice president and global chief information security officer. Barron-DiCamillo brings more than 25 years of cybersecurity and risk management experience from roles at Citi, American Express, and as director of the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team.<\/p>\n

Texas AG appoints Chad Holmes as CISO<\/h3>\n

The Texas Office of the Attorney General named Chad Holmes<\/a> chief information security officer. Holmes brings more than 25 years of private-sector cybersecurity experience, including roles at Legal & General, Kivu Consulting, Optiv, EY, FireEye, Intel, and McAfee, and leads initiatives spanning cybersecurity, AI, cyber resilience, threat intelligence, and incident response readiness.<\/p>\n

BreachRx appoints Stephen Garcia as security chief<\/h3>\n

BreachRx appointed Stephen Garcia<\/a> as CISO. Garcia brings more than 20 years of security leadership experience, including roles at major financial-services, technology, and enterprise organizations, and will help advance the company\u2019s security strategy and customer trust.<\/p>\n

Omnicell promotes Michael McNeil to SVP and CISO<\/h3>\n

Omnicell promoted Michael McNeil<\/a> to senior vice president and chief information security officer. The former McKesson CISO will expand his responsibilities to advance Omnicell\u2019s global cybersecurity and cloud security strategy.<\/p>\n

Candescent names Thomas Hill as CISO<\/h3>\n

Candescent appointed Thomas Hill<\/a> as chief information security officer. Hill brings more than two and a half decades of information security experience, including five years most recently as CISO at nCino and prior service as CIO and CISO at Live Oak Bank.<\/p>\n

John Walton appointed CISO at Nubank<\/h3>\n

Nubank appointed John Walton<\/a> as chief information security officer. With more than 25 years in security and engineering leadership roles, Walton will lead the digital financial services platform\u2019s information security strategy.<\/p>\n

Semperis taps John Podboy as security chief<\/h3>\n

Semperis appointed John Podboy<\/a> CISO. Podboy brings more than 15 years of experience spanning cybersecurity, technology management, digital transformation, risk and resilience, including leadership roles at First Citizens Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Thomson Reuters and GE Digital.<\/p>\n

Lexitas appoints Joe Giannetti as CIO and CISO<\/h3>\n

Lexitas named Joe Giannetti<\/a> its new CIO and CISO. Giannetti brings more than 25 years of experience in technology and security leadership from high-growth organizations, including Employ, Applied Systems, and previous roles managing complex IT infrastructure transformations.<\/p>\n

DHS names Supriya Ahuja as acting deputy CISO<\/h3>\n

The US Department of Homeland Security appointed Supriya Ahuja<\/a> acting deputy chief information security officer. She brings nearly two decades of cybersecurity and cyber-risk experience across government and private-sector organizations.<\/p>\n

Also:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Christopher Porter joins Booz Allen Hamilton as global CISO<\/a><\/p>\n

William Schmidt named VP & CISO at Pavilion Payments<\/a><\/p>\n

New CISO appointments in May 2026<\/h2>\n

Backstory names Victor Chang CISO<\/h3>\n

Backstory, formerly People.ai, has appointed Victor Chang<\/a> as CISO. Chang has previously served as CISO at Amdocs, among other senior security roles.<\/p>\n

Adam Dimopoulos is Entrust\u2019s new CISO<\/h3>\n

Entrust has appointed former Synchrony VP of Information Security Adam Dimopoulos as its new CISO. Dimopoulos has also previously worked in advisory roles at Microsoft and Gartner.<\/p>\n

Tanium names Paul Black as chief information security officer<\/h3>\n

Tanium appointed Paul Black<\/a> CISO with a mandate that includes AI-related security priorities. Black brings broad cybersecurity and technology leadership experience across technology, financial-services and enterprise organizations.<\/p>\n

Merck appoints Tim McKnight as SVP, IT Risk Management & Security and CISO<\/h3>\n

Merck has tapped Tim McKnight<\/a> to head up IT risk management and cybersecurity. He brings more than 30 years of security leadership experience, including senior roles at UnitedHealth Group and SAP and earlier work across major technology, financial-services and government organizations.<\/p>\n

Semperis names John Podboy CISO<\/h3>\n

Semperis appointed John Podboy<\/a> as chief information security officer. Podboy brings more than 15 years of cybersecurity experience spanning risk, resilience, and digital transformation leadership at Fifth Third Bank, First Citizens Bank, Thomson Reuters, and GE Digital managing security programs across Fortune 100 organizations.<\/p>\n

Edwin Ng appointed CISO at LogicGate<\/h3>\n

LogicGate announced Edwin Ng<\/a> as chief information security officer. Ng has a two-decade track record of fortifying digital resilience for the world\u2019s most iconic brands.<\/p>\n

Also:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Erin Heard promoted to acting CISO at USPTO<\/a><\/p>\n

Jason Lee named CISO of PlayOn Sports<\/a><\/p>\n

Alex Burinskiy appointed CISO of Accela<\/a><\/p>\n

New CISO appointments in April 2026<\/h2>\n

NMFTA appoints Ben Wilkens as cybersecurity director<\/h3>\n

NMFTA promoted Ben Wilkens<\/a> to director of cybersecurity. Previously a cybersecurity principal engineer at NMFTA, he brings hands-on transportation experience and advanced cybersecurity expertise. A CISSP, CCSP, and CISM who also holds an active Class A CDL, he will lead NMFTA\u2019s cybersecurity strategy, research, and industry engagement.<\/p>\n

Discovery Education appoints Kara Schlageter as first CISO<\/h3>\n

Discovery Education announced Kara Schlageter<\/a> as its first chief information security officer. Schlageter brings 25-plus years of cybersecurity, enterprise risk, and large-scale transformation expertise in highly regulated environments. She aligns technical security strategies with business priorities using secure-by-design innovation principles.<\/p>\n

Also:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lucas Moody joins Astera Labs as CISO<\/a><\/p>\n

New CISO appointments in March 2026<\/h2>\n

Kathy Wang joins micro1 as CISO<\/h3>\n

Frontier AI model training company micro1 has hired Kathy Wang as CISO. She was most recently CISO at hospitality software developer Otelier, and has previously held top cybersecurity roles at Discord and GitLab.<\/p>\n

Green Impact Exchange names John Visneski CISO<\/h3>\n

John Visneski has joined stock exchange operator Green Impact Exchange as CISO. He was previously CISO at MGM Studios, and following that company\u2019s acquisition by Amazon became head of security for mergers and acquisitions. His cybersecurity career began with the US Air Force, where he served as cyber advisor to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force.<\/p>\n

US DoW appoints James \u2018Aaron\u2019 Bishop deputy CIO and CISO<\/h3>\n

The US Department of War named James \u201cAaron\u201d Bishop<\/a> deputy chief information officer (cybersecurity) and CISO. In the role, he will provide policy, technical, program, and department-wide oversight of cybersecurity matters.<\/p>\n

SMBC Americas brings on Donna Hart as CISO<\/h3>\n

SMBC Americas appointed Donna Hart<\/a> CISO. Hart brings more than 30 years of experience across information security, infrastructure, and cyber risk management, including leadership experience at Ally Financial and more than 20 years at Wells Fargo and Wachovia.<\/p>\n

BayCare taps Robert Carvajal as security chief<\/h3>\n

BayCare named Robert Carvajal<\/a> chief information security officer. He will oversee BayCare\u2019s cybersecurity strategy in support of innovation, patient safety, and operational excellence.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania appoints Andy Ritter as CISO<\/h3>\n

Pennsylvania appoints Andy Ritter<\/a> as chief information security officer. Ritter brings 30-plus years of cybersecurity and IT experience spanning public and private sectors. Previously serving as deputy CISO, he now leads statewide cyber resilience, enterprise risk management, and security operations.<\/p>\n

New CISO appointments in February 2026<\/h2>\n

Western Alliance appoints Stephen McMaster as CISO<\/h3>\n

Western Alliance Bank named Stephen McMaster<\/a> chief information security officer. McMaster brings more than 25 years of experience, including 20 years at Wells Fargo, where he most recently led cloud security, data loss prevention, third-party cybersecurity, and business information security programs.<\/p>\n

Teradata names Ken Ricketts as SVP and CISO<\/h3>\n

Teradata appointed Ken Ricketts<\/a> senior vice president and chief information security officer. With more than 20 years of experience, he will lead global security strategy with a focus on cloud security, AI-driven innovation, and risk-based governance.<\/p>\n

New CISO appointments in January 2026<\/h2>\n

Julien Mousqueton joins Cohesity as field CISO for Europe<\/h3>\n

Data security firm Cohesity has hired Julien Mousqueton as field CISO for Europe. His previous role was as CTO at IT service provider Computacenter. He is a reservist advisor for OFAC, the French national police force\u2019s anti-cybercrime division, and created the real-time ransomware activity-tracking platform ransomware.live<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cook Children\u2019s hires Kathy Jobes as CISO<\/h3>\n

Cook Children\u2019s Health Care System named Kathy Jobes<\/a> its chief information security officer. Jobes brings more than 25 years of healthcare cybersecurity experience, with a focus on data governance and risk management, and is known for a human-centric approach to security.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The upper ranks of corporate security are seeing a high rate of change as companies try to adapt to the evolving threat landscape. Many companies are hiring a chief security officer (CSO) or chief information security officer (CISO) for the first time to support a deeper commitment to information security. Follow this column to keep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8837"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}