Cohesity, a next-gen data management specialist, has appointed Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia to its board of directors, the company announced September 8.
Mandia expressed his excitement over joining Cohesity’s board and the job ahead:
“We’ve recently witnessed an explosion of vicious ransomware attacks where cybercriminals are getting smarter, often seizing legacy backups in an effort to paralyze companies and force payouts. Data security and data management leaders must work hand-in-hand to keep bad actors in their place. I’m excited to join Cohesity’s board as the company plays a critical role in helping enterprises improve their security posture. In my mission to help organizations protect themselves from cyberattacks, Cohesity’s modern data security architecture and focus on defending data and recovering from attacks is a significant asset in the fight against cybercrime.”
Mandia, and Mandiant, in Demand
Mandia is regarded as one of the world’s foremost cybersecurity experts, bringing more than 25 years of experience to Cohesity’s board. The U.S. government and Fortune 100 companies routinely call on him to spearhead rapid response when cyber criminals strike.
Given Mandia’s cybersecurity industry prominence, San Jose, California-based Cohesity is not the only corporate board of directors seeking his counsel and expertise, having joined Cybrary’s board in August 2022, as reported by MSSP Alert. And Mandia is poised to become a top executive at Google, which has made a play to acquire Mandiant at reported $5.4 billion offer. As part of the pending deal, Mandiant would join Google Cloud.
Cohesity Chairman of the Board Gaurav Garg applauded Mandia’s arrival:
“I’m excited to have Kevin join the board as his insights and proficiency in security will be invaluable to further inform our strategy. The board and I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome him, and we look forward to leveraging his deep knowledge to help our customers dramatically reduce the potential impact of cyberattacks while simplifying the management of their data.”
Cohesity Gathers Cyber Talent
In tandem with naming Mandia to its board of directors, the company, which offers and MSP partner program, announced the formation of the Cohesity Security Advisory Council. Mandia will lead the group of experts advising the Cohesity team, customers and partners on security trends and emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities, the company said.
The council is tasked with providing insights on product innovations and engaging with compliance, government and industry groups to help develop and shape standards and practices for data security and cyber resiliency. The council will meet regularly, including customer and ecosystem security meet-ups for CISOs, to exchange best practices and elevate data protection and security, Cohesity said.
Cohesity CEO and President Sanjay Poonen welcomed Mandia’s addition to the company’s leadership:
“In the current threat landscape, it’s increasingly clear that a new approach to data security and data management is required. I’ve known and admired Kevin for years in his mission to help companies protect themselves. His unique and unparalleled understanding of the security environment, as well as his trusted advisor status with so many boards, CEOs and CISOs will be invaluable as we jointly focus on helping companies win the war against cybercrime. I’m looking forward to partnering with him and the rest of the experts on our Cohesity Security Advisory Council who are all well-known security thought-leaders in their own regard, as we strive to make the world a safer place.”
Other cybersecurity experts joining Mandia on the council include:
- Alex Stamos, director of Stanford Internet Observatory, partner at the Krebs Stamos Group, and former CSO at Facebook and Yahoo!
- Jason Chan, former vice president of Information Security at Netflix
- Marianne Bailey, partner at Guidehouse and former senior cybersecurity executive at the NSA
- Laura Barrowman, Cohesity board advisor and chief information officer at Credit Suisse
- Sheila Jordan, Cohesity board advisor, chief digital technology officer at Honeywell and former CIO at Symantec
