Amazon has elected cybersecurity executive and investor Kevin Mandia to its Board of Directors, adding more than 30 years of cybersecurity experience to the company’s board.
He is the founder and CEO of Armadin, a cybersecurity company focused on securing large and complex technology environments, and co-founder and general partner of cybersecurity-focused venture capital firm Ballistic Ventures.
Mandia also founded and previously served as CEO of Mandiant, the cybersecurity company acquired by Google in September 2022.
His career has spanned cybersecurity operations, company building, venture investing and government service.
Mandia previously served on the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee.
Earlier in his career, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a computer security officer at the Pentagon and later worked as a special agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Amazon said Mandia’s appointment reflects the increasing importance of cybersecurity expertise at the board level as organizations face a rapidly evolving threat environment.
The company also pointed to the relationship between cybersecurity risks and advances in artificial intelligence, which are creating new opportunities as well as new security challenges.
Mandia’s experience leading companies that protect large enterprises and investing in emerging cybersecurity businesses is expected to help inform Amazon’s board as it considers those issues.
Amazon said his election reflects its broader effort to maintain relevant experience and perspectives throughout the company’s leadership and governance structure.
