Benchmark Executive Search Finds CEO for CynergisTek
August 8, 2019 – Benchmark Executive Search, a boutique provider of cybersecurity talent, has placed Caleb Barlow as chief executive officer of Austin, TX-based CynergisTek Inc.
He succeeds retiring founder Mac McMillan, who will support Mr. Barlow in the execution of CynergisTek’s strategy through the remainder of 2019 and will remain a member of the board of directors.
“I want to congratulate Caleb on his appointment and look forward to working with him during the transition,” said Mr. McMillan. “Caleb has an impressive track record that speaks for itself and positions us well to execute on the growth strategies we put in place over the last couple of years. My time spent with Caleb gives me comfort that our customers will continue to experience the same quality of service they have been accustomed to over the years. I am very confident that his experience will allow him to build on the success that is CynergisTek today and take it to new heights tomorrow.”
“Caleb Barlow brings a distinguished background, proven leadership and deep cybersecurity expertise to CynergisTek coupled with a rare ops tempo and drive,” said Benchmark president Jeremy King. “We look forward to watching Caleb take CynergisTek to the next level of growth and market leadership.”
Globally Recognized
Mr. Barlow is a globally recognized security professional. He recently served as vice president of threat intelligence for IBM Security where he built IBM’s X-Force Incident Response and Intelligence Service. He brings years of experience building security teams and defining the best practices for organizations to maintain resiliency during a security breach. Among his accomplishments, Mr. Barlow established the industry’s first immersive cyber range, the first mobile cyber operations center and a comprehensive incident command system for responding to major cyber incidents.
Mr. Barlow has a broad background, having led teams in product development, product management, strategy, marketing, service delivery and acquisition integration. He has a history of successfully leading growth organizations and is a sought-after expert on information security with appearances that include the TED stage, the “Today” show and regular appearances on national news and dozens of publications. Mr. Barlow has testified before the U.S. Congress and the United Nations by invitation of the president of the U.N. General Assembly.
“In a market flush with recruiters and great C-Level opportunities, it is an exception to work with a search firm that truly knows the security industry, the trends and the key players,” said Mr. Barlow. “Benchmark moves past the buzz words into a mission focused discussion between security professionals.”
A Respected Recruiter
J.D. Abouchar, chairman of the board of CynergisTek, said the company was pleased with the search firm’s work. “Given the critical importance of a succession plan and strategy for a publicly listed company, the board at CynergisTek thought long and hard about who to partner with for this important task,” he said. “Selecting Benchmark was the obvious choice for us, and we couldn’t be happier with how the process was conducted and the final outcome. The thoroughness of the process and quality of the candidates included in the search was particularly impressive. Benchmark clearly knows the cybersecurity industry and knew who would and wouldn’t be a fit for our company. Benchmark’s high-touch nature made us feel like they were partners in our success. Their reputation as ‘honest brokers’ was evident as they demonstrated they truly care about both client and candidate to ensure mutual alignment and fit.”
Scrambling for Cybersecurity Leaders is Big Business for Recruiters
Cyberattacks are growing in magnitude, complexity and frequency, and these massive security lapses have left many companies vulnerable. The need for cybersecurity executives reaches across virtually all industries.
Benchmark Executive Search, based in Reston, VA, focuses on helping start-ups, emerging growth and mid-cap companies recruit leaders with government or private public sector experience to work in the defense, intelligence and national security markets in areas like information technology, military communications, homeland security, cyberwarfare, cloud, analytics and more.
Mr. King, the firm’s founder, has nearly 20 years of senior level recruiting experience. He specializes at the intersection of VC/PE backed technology innovators, government contractors and federal mission needs matching them to senior cyber/national/corporate security executives and board members. Mr. King has developed deep relationships with government and industry insiders, particularly within the intelligence, DoD and national security communities. He has worked with over 350 startups, emerging growth companies as well as publicly traded leaders.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media