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 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 Andrew Flynn, regional executive editor.
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 Schönbohm, 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.