Panzura LLC, a leader in hybrid multi-cloud data management, has appointed Katie McCullough to its newly created role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). McCullough will be responsible for security and compliance for the company and customers.
The appointment follows a record turnaround since the company’s “refounding” in 2020, led by CEO Jill Stelfox. Since May 2020, Panzura has grown its revenue by 485 percent, launched several new products, raised $80 million in Series B funding, and instituted company-wide structural changes that improve diversity and drive performance. These changes include equalizing pay for men and women, mental health coaching and the freedom to work remotely.
Panzura’s appointment of McCullough and creation of the CISO role comes at a time when customer data are under threat from a growing number of sources across a widening attack area. Cyberthreats like ransomware are rising in number and increasing in sophistication, growing threefold since 2020 according to Forrester. “Evading cyberthreats is an around-the-clock challenge for customers. The traditional approach for companies has been to move fast to neutralize data threats after they happen,” said Stelfox. “We want a more proactive, intelligent approach to keeping data safe that works better for businesses. We were looking for a leader in the security space who could shape Panzura’s vision for cybersecurity with fresh thinking and a commitment to excellence. Katie was the stand-out candidate and we’re thrilled to welcome her to the team.”
McCullough joins Panzura with more than 25 years of experience executing and leading security operations, compliance, managed services and cloud solutions. During her time working for industry-leading companies OneNeck IT Solutions and CDW/Berbee, she has proven her strategic leadership creating secure IT environments that enable businesses to run, grow, and transform.
Stelfox said, “Our industry is changing. In my role as the only female CEO in data management, I set about creating an equitable, diverse work culture that rewards passion and performance. Katie’s proven ability to develop and implement transformative security strategies through her inspirational, team-centered leadership style makes her a great fit for Panzura.”
McCullough’s appointment will further Panzura’s goal to deliver ground-breaking, patented innovation to customers. The company holds 37 patents, having recently added two new patents that extend Panzura’s leadership in managing and protecting cloud-based distributed computing environments.
Find out more at panzura.com.
