“Security and convenience shouldn’t have to be a choice. You need both to Set Yourself Free” – Authomate Team.
Who Are We
The Authomate team has a driving goal of providing secure access to what matters most to you, and a passion based on the belief that security can be made stronger and convenient. Built by a team with decades of security, infrastructure, defense and intelligence experience, we have collaborated to create a foundational suite of solutions that brings a paradigm shift in authentication that saves cost and brings stronger security made easier to use.
What We Do
At Authomate, we believe security and convenience shouldn’t have to be a choice. By leveraging the first truly connected personal extension of you – your smartphone – we have developed an industry-defining, pioneering approach to identity and access management (IAM) that is more secure, intuitive, user-friendly, and cost effective than alternatives in the market.
We accomplish this through the StrongPass Business suite of solutions which embraces a patented and secure cloud service using true out-of-band, multi-channel and bi-directional authentication flows that orchestrates the movement of credentials away from malicious actors.
As the industries move towards the use of context aware parameters for better access decisions, StrongPass introduces location, intent, presence, and persistence. Thus allowing companies to further align their user risk profiles to their security strategies and place security “where” it counts.
Our Team
I am passionate about network security and have been associated with this space for more than 20 years. The incidences of security vulnerabilities and hacks have dramatically increased over the years and the industry has seen a number of solutions created to address them. These solutions do improve security, but also makes everything more complicated. I started Authomate with an objective of making stronger security easier to use.
My vision for Authomate is to make security stronger and simple, while giving control back to the user. Authomate is about taking control of personal and professional information and credentials, protecting them in a single, secure location, and giving that information only to those that can be trusted with it. We have built something unique that changes how authentication works, and enables users to manage their own identity and information without losing touch with the digital world.
Piyush founded Authomate in 2012 to simplify online security and bring strong authentication to every aspect of life without any added complexity. Piyush remained the founding CEO till January 2015, when he expanded the management team and brought in Jeff as the new CEO. As the Chief Visionary Officer and CTO, Piyush is responsible for leading innovation at Authomate, developing the short/long term company vision and the product development/delivery. Authomate brings together his experiences creating and launching software products, with his passion for wanting to protect people in an increasingly unsafe online environment.
Piyush is a seasoned technology executive and entrepreneur and has worked for Defense, Information technology, and network security companies. He has extensive leadership experience, specializing in setting-up, grooming and managing high performance, dynamic, global software teams, and a track record executing product strategy and vision. In his nearly 25-year career, Piyush has worked in small startups as well as large companies while successfully leading numerous product launches and cross-functional operations. Piyush has been recognized repeatedly inside Bell Labs and Alcatel-Lucent with individual contribution awards and a nomination to the Alcatel-Lucent Technical Academy.
Piyush received his MBA in General Management and Strategy from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. In addition he holds a Masters Degree in Science (Computer Science) from Allahabad University as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from University of Delhi.
Craig was appointed the Chief Financial Officer of Authomate in November 2016 after working as an advisor to the Authomate team since August 2015. He is responsible for the financial and administrative affairs of the company
Since early 2015, Craig has been the CFO or an advisor to numerous start-up companies in the Atlanta area, including Authomate, M2MD Technologies and KNOW Brands. Previously, Craig was a Senior Vice President of Hughes Telematics, Inc. (now known as Verizon Telematics Inc.). He served as the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of Hughes Telematics from its inception until after the company's acquisition by Verizon in 2012. During this time, Craig was responsible for all aspects of the financial, accounting and tax operations of the company and played a key role in multiple public and private capital raising transactions. Following the acquisition by Verizon, Craig transitioned into a strategic role handling complex issues for the CEO of Telematics, including serving as strategic advisor to the leadership team of Networkfleet, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary). He also served as a strategic advisor for the company's international expansion in China, Russia and Europe, including managing all tax and regulatory matters.
Prior to Hughes Telematics, Craig served as the Controller and Treasurer of SkyTerra Communications, Inc. where, among other finance and accounting responsibilities, he negotiated key financial terms of transaction that resulted in acquisition of control over Mobile Satellite Ventures LP, a partially owned joint venture, through the issuance of $1.2 billion of common stock and managed the process related to the spin-off of Hughes Communications, Inc. to shareholders. Craig began his career as an associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers and was also the corporate accounting manager at Kozmo.com, Inc.
Craig holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and a masters of accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a Certified Public Accountant.
I’ve been in the security space for more than 20 years. A decade ago, I realized that security was becoming complacent. Many security professionals felt that there wasn’t any more innovation that could occur.
But when you looked closer at the industry, you saw security professionals finding more and more holes, and adding more and more solutions to cover them up. This made security stronger, but it made everything else more complicated. Simultaneously, I watched over and over as vendors, retailers and bankers were entrusted with the PII of users and failed to protect it.
My vision for Authomate was to make strong security simple, while giving control back to the user. Authomate is about taking control of personal and professional information and credentials, protecting them in a single, secure location, and giving that information only to those that can be trusted with it. We have built something unique that changes how authentication works, and enables users to manage their own identity and information without losing touch with the digital world.
Piyush stepped into the chief technology officer (CTO) role of Authomate Inc., in January 2015. Piyush started Authomate INC as a founder and remained its founding CEO till Jan 2015, when he expanded the management team and brought in Jeff as the new CEO.
Piyush founded Authomate in 2012 to simplify online security and bring strong authentication to every aspect of life without any added complexity. As the CTO, Piyush is responsible for leading innovation at Authomate, developing the short/long term product vision and the product development/delivery.
Authomate brings together his experiences creating and launching software products, with his passion for wanting to protect people in an increasingly unsafe online environment.
Piyush is a seasoned technology executive and entrepreneur and has worked for Defense, Information technology, and network security companies. He has extensive leadership experience, specializing in setting-up, grooming and managing high performance, dynamic, global software teams, and a track record executing product strategy and vision. In his nearly 25-year career, Piyush has worked in small startups as well as large companies while successfully leading numerous product launches and cross-functional operations.
Piyush has been recognized repeatedly inside Bell Labs and Alcatel-Lucent with individual contribution awards and a nomination to the Alcatel-Lucent Technical Academy.
Piyush is a graduate of Cornell University. He received his MBA in General Management and Strategy from Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. In addition he holds a Masters Degree in Science (Computer Science) from Allahabad University as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from University of Delhi.
When I was first approached and asked to join the Authomate team, I was excited about the potential of both the company and its technology. The vision that was shared with me was not product-centric, but rather focused on reimagining and evolving processes and workflows that had been stoic and static for too long.
Authomate’s solution is more than authentication. It’s orchestration. It takes the process of physically identifying an individual and applies it to the digital world.
Most exciting of all, the company and its solutions are all about empowering the user through the use and manipulation of the hottest technologies – smartphones and cloud – to take their digital life back. Authomate doesn’t scare users into embracing strong, rigid security, it sets them free to conduct their digital business on their own terms without having to live in constant fear of breach or compromise.
Jeff was appointed chief executive officer and president of Authomate Inc., in January 2015. In this role, Jeff is responsible for establishing the vision of Authomate, as well as developing and executing the company’s growth strategy to drive employee, client, and shareholder value. He has been at the center of innovative technology leadership throughout his career and has a passion for security solutions, as exemplified in his work at British Telecom (BT). Under his leadership, his team developed and deployed “visual analytics” for intrusion detection, and the early adoption of cloud-based security solutions, which enabled “bring your own device” capabilities for enterprises globally.
Before joining Authomate, Jeff was the chief operating officer of SQS North America.His responsibilities included all day-to-day operations, including operational and financial management for all portfolio development and delivery for North America. Jeff helped drive significant growth in the SQS business in the US, achieving revenue of $20 million from a $2M baseline during his two-year tenure.
Prior to SQS, Jeff led BT’s global security solution practice (BT Assure), which included customized products and managed security solutions for BT’s clients globally. This included the launch of BT’s Assure portfolio which when he left accounted for over $250m in annual revenue and growth rates upward of 20% across the portfolio. Under his leadership, BT Assure received accolades and recognition as a market leader in security by key industry analyst.
Jeff held leadership positions in the information technology sector for over 25 years with prominent companies such as Home Savings of America, Lucent, California State Automobile Association, Paramount Pictures, InCode Telecom Group, and International Network Services. Additionally, Jeff has worked closely with many industry-leading consultants and has presented at events held by Gartner, RSA, InfoSec, and Cisco.
Malicious actors have many ways to go after individuals and companies, whether it be for personal financial gain or to just create havoc. Everyday we’re witness to new breaches to companies, people or critical infrastructure.
In my previous position, I worked for a company that was creating a solution that could help save the planet from reliance on fossil fuels and global warming. It was this same altruistic vision that drew me to Authomate.
I feel that we have the ability to help a wide group of users – both individuals and businesses – that have been steps behind malicious actors for years. We have the ability to help keep them secure while not making their personal or professional lives more difficult or more complicated. That would be an amazing legacy for us to leave behind.
John joined Authomate in January of 2015 as the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. In his leadership role, John is responsible for all revenue generation, market development, and customer/partner relationships that contribute to meeting the company’s short and long-term growth strategies.
John’s responsibilities extend as a member of the company’s board of directors, with oversight of the company’s formation and funding, and advisor to the product development team.
Prior to joining Authomate, John served as a senior executive, operational manager, or senior sales executive with many high technology companies and emerging market segments. Most recently with Zero Motorcycles, over a seven-year period, John led the global sales development for the early market strategy, the growth and expansion of sales (direct/indirect) internationally, and brought alternative revenue streams through complimentary channels.
Prior to this, John held various senior sales and operational management roles, spanning twenty years, where bringing new technologies and services into new/emerging markets were critical to each company’s success. John’s experiences with launching new technologies into new market segments, multi-industry expansion, and international expertise will help serve Authomate well in developing the business to initiate and sustain growth.
John holds a BS degree in Business and Information Computing Systems from San Francisco State University.
When Piyush first approached me to demonstrate what he was working on, I was impressed with how easy it could be to be secure. Like so many others, I've had accounts broken into and a tax return hijacked and suffered the pain of having to change dozens of passwords over the years as e-tailers' information was compromised. Being rather paranoid though, I hadn't trusted the run-of-the-mill password managers, but this was different. I jumped at the chance to do something with an opportunity to make the digital world safer AND easier.
Andy joined Authomate as the chief architect in 2015. He is a seasoned architect and technologist, with specialization in security. Andy is responsible for driving the vision for the Authomate framework, ensuring that it is secure, reliable, seamlessly integrated and user friendly.
Before joining Authomate, Andy was the architect, lead developer and team leader for nearly 15 years for the Lucent Brick appliance – an award winning, highly secure firewall and VPN gateway. His particular expertise includes system analysis security and performance.
In his nearly 30 year career building systems for AT&T, Lucent, and Alcatel-Lucent, Andy has designed and implemented systems ranging from tiny microcontrollers up to $100M, highly complex, network management systems.
He has contributed significantly through nearly all aspects of a product lifecycle from early prototype, hiring, requirements, development, product test, customer support, and end-of-life activities. Throughout his career, Andy has led various sized development teams that have produced revolutionary and disruptive technologies in the technology and security sector.
Andrew has been recognized repeatedly inside Alcatel-Lucent with Individual Contribution awards, a President’s award, and appointment to the Alcatel-Lucent Technical Academy (ALTA) as a Key Performer.
Andrew is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he earned both a BSE and ME degree in Computer Systems Engineering – graduating summa cum laude in the top 1% of his class.
When I was asked to Join Authomate it was a no brainer as credentials security is a concern for hundreds of millions individuals like myself who’s digital footprint is all over the Internet. With all the CO breaches being reported on a regular basis, changing password has become common place to stay ahead of the bad guys. Authomate’s secure credentials management technology provides peace of mind and ease of use. The use cases for Authomate are endless and to be part of this is very exciting.
Les joined Authomate in August of 2015 as the Director of Customer Experience. In his role, Les is responsible for all quality assurance of all Authomate products, manage support to provide first class pre and post-sales support, review daily customer priorities and take appropriate action to ensure results are achieved, and instill a high performance culture with focus on service excellence and ownership for resolving customer issues.
Prior to joining Authomate, Les served as a technical manager for Alcatel-Lucent security product for software development, system test, and support manager for teams in both the US and India. Les has 16 plus year working in the firewall security space. Les has 25 plus years working for AT&T/Lucent/Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs working with ISP, Enterprise, and Government agency’s in support of a broad range of technologies.
Les holds a BS degree in Computer Science from Monmouth University in New Jersey.
Advisors
As a former CEO, I managed many operational teams and I was ultimately responsible for technology, quality and cost controls. I was always looking for solutions that met business demands, scalability and affordability. Authomate has created a new generation security platform. They have figured out how to balance user convenience, an unparalleled authentication process, and lowering costs for companies that want to move strategically within risk-based and context-aware solutions. I am thrilled to bring my experiences to the Authomate team, providing support in business development, fund raising, and operational growth.
David is a former CEO and President of several Services Organizations. His experience includes C-suite positions at public companies, leading an independent professional services firm and serving as president of the US unit of a worldwide telecommunications provider.
As COO and then CEO of International Network Services, David built the global Sales and Operations infrastructure. He led the company through its evolution from a start-up through its stages as a public company, an acquisition by Lucent, a management buyout and eventually an acquisition by British Telecom. During that period, the company closed and successfully integrated multiple acquisitions, launched numerous successful portfolio offerings and opened new markets both in the US and abroad. As President of BT Americas, David turned around an under performing unit into a profitable $1B operation.
David originally began his career in sales at organizations such as Unisys. He currently sits on a number of boards and is an angel investor in a number of technology ventures.
Tony Catalfano served as the Managing Director of US at Worldpay Group plc (Worldpay Group Limited) between March 2012 until January 16, 2016. Mr. Catalfano has more than 20 years of global financial industry management and implementation experience. He held previous positions with Fiserv, including Division President of Electronic Payments, focused on Fiserv’s digital payment strategy as well as global banking solutions for core banking, channels and payment Solutions.
I was intrigued when I learned of Authomate. Their technology taps into an unsolved issue in security. The relative ease and sophistication by which bad actors continue to gain and use stolen credentials to breach environments is alarming. The prevalence of these high profile instances increases the need for a solution like Authomate’s next generation authentication and credential orchestration solutions.
I am excited by their technology and the brilliance of their team. I’m am pleased to be involved as they offer new insight and solutions into solving security issues.
Jason Cook is the Managing Director at The Chertoff Group., The Chertoff Group is a premier global advisory firm focused on security and risk management. The Chertoff Group helps clients grow and secure their enterprise through risk management, business strategy, and merchant banking advisory services.
Jason is a seasoned IT, Security & Telecoms executive with a track record of reorganizing & improving dysfunctional Business & IT departments. He provides leadership, strategic direction and technical expertise across the technology spectrum and mentor and help others reach their potential and chosen path.
He has over 26 years experience in Customer Delivery Management, Sales, Information Systems, Security & Risk Management, Applications Development, Delivery, Operational support, Portfolio Development and Mergers & Acquisitions.
I was intrigued when I learned of Authomate. Their technology taps into an unsolved issue in security. The relative ease and sophistication by which bad actors continue to gain and use stolen credentials to breach environments is alarming. The prevalence of these high profile instances increases the need for a solution like Authomate’s next generation authentication and credential orchestration solutions.
I am excited by their technology and the brilliance of their team. I’m am pleased to be involved as they offer new insight and solutions into solving security issues.
Megan Burton is a pioneer in the IT security industry and is well-known for her ability to push the envelope in security and risk management technology. She is the CEO and Founder of U.S based Fintech Company CoinX a company dedicated to the development of technologies surrounding the financial services industry for Banks, Money Service Businesses, and Payment Service Providers.
Former Chairman of the Board for Atlanta-based internet and security consulting company, SeeGee Technologies. In 2004 Megan founded the company as it grew to become one of the South East’s Premier Security Service Providers to the Fortune 1000 companies. Megan has received a number of prestigious awards and has been recognized for her advocacy of women-owned businesses, as well as her significant contributions to civic and community causes.
An activist to a number of national and Atlanta-based organizations and a mentor to other women business owners. Megan has received a number of prestigious awards and honors and has been formerly recognized by Women in Technology, Greater Women’s Business Council, NAWBO, and CRN. She is a serving member of the board for Barwick Bank and Chairman of YPO Atlanta.
As a former CEO, I managed many operational teams and I was ultimately responsible for technology, quality and cost controls. I was always looking for solutions that met business demands, scalability and affordability. Authomate has created a new generation security platform. They have figured out how to balance user convenience, an unparalleled authentication process, and lowering costs for companies that want to move strategically within risk-based and context-aware solutions. I am thrilled to bring my experiences to the Authomate team, providing support in business development, fund raising, and operational growth.
David is a former CEO and President of several Services Organizations. His experience includes C-suite positions at public companies, leading an independent professional services firm and serving as president of the US unit of a worldwide telecommunications provider.
As COO and then CEO of International Network Services, David built the global Sales and Operations infrastructure. He led the company through its evolution from a start-up through its stages as a public company, an acquisition by Lucent, a management buyout and eventually an acquisition by British Telecom. During that period, the company closed and successfully integrated multiple acquisitions, launched numerous successful portfolio offerings and opened new markets both in the US and abroad. As President of BT Americas, David turned around an under performing unit into a profitable $1B operation.
David originally began his career in sales at organizations such as Unisys. He currently sits on a number of boards and is an angel investor in a number of technology ventures.
As a CIO for several profile organizations, I have seen the rise in the complexity and need to secure client and partner PII data, as well as corporate information assets. I have a somewhat direct and unique perspective on the corporate security challenges. Authomate’s value approach to provide the balance between ease of use, robust security and lower costs can significantly resolve real risks companies have today both within their organization and for their clients.
Dante is currently the Global Head of Technology at Gravitas, a leading provider of Technology and Solutions to Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds.
Prior to joining Gravatis, Dante served as the US CIO of BMO Financial Corporation and the CTO for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and Consumer Credit. He has also held senior roles at Wall Street industry leaders that include JP Morgan, Barclays Global Investors, Bank of America, RobertsonStephens and Hambrecht & Quist.
He has been a founding member of several Silicon Valley start-ups and a board member or advisor to several financial services and early stage Technology organizations.
I have a passion for all things technology and its impact on business and society. I believe identity and security are the core elements underlying and enabling the trust frameworks we take for granted today. Maintaining these trust frameworks is more important today than ever before and is a base requirement for businesses to thrive as they become ever more entrusted with their customer’s information. In this digital era, Authomate provides government, businesses, employees, and consumers simple, innovative identity and security management solutions ensuring only those who need access get it. I’m excited to support the leadership team on Authomate’s future success.
Ian M. Klein is President of Atlas Mobility International, a newly formed entity focused on developing and guiding global growth opportunities in the technology space. Ian currently advises several companies in the technology sector addressing the Internet of Things, Data Protection, Identity, Security, Education, and Finance.
Formerly, Ian spent over nine years with GSMA, where he held several positions in commercialization, innovation, strategy, and corporate development. Prior to his departure in late 2015, he was GSMA's Head of Corporate Business Development, leading a team focused on GSMA’s strategic growth, commercial industry partnerships in the wireless ecosystem, and formulating approaches to help drive mobile technology adoption and growth. From 2007 until 2009, Ian was GSMA’s Mobile Innovation Director responsible for improving GSMA’s and the mobile industry’s connection to the venture capital and entrepreneur ecosystems worldwide.
Prior to his time at GSMA, Ian spent fifteen years in early growth stages of the personal computer sector, mergers & acquisitions consulting, communications technology strategy, portfolio management, and international business and partnership development.
Ian is known globally for his principled approach, the breadth and depth of his business knowledge, and his ability to simultaneously focus on long term impacts while executing in the moment.
I have been associated with Authomate since conception back in 2011, as I saw Piyush’s vision and anticipation of problems, which today are playing out literally on a daily basis and on a global scale. Prevention of identity theft, robust protection of confidentiality and any form data, are critical need of the hour, if the new world of internet commerce - whether B2B, B2C, C2C – has to flourish! Authomate is the holy grail!
Jaideep currently runs AARK Global, the Hong Kong-based, boutique investment and advisory vehicle.
He was previously a Managing Director at D.B. Zwirn Asia, joining in May 2006 and based in Hong Kong, leading the firm’s investment activity in Asia Pacific.
Since January 2005, he worked as a Partner and the Head of the Special Situations Group at Actis Capital in London.
From 1998 – 2003 he served as a Managing Director for Cerberus Capital Management in Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and China.
During his successful career in finance, he has held various senior positions at Peregrine Fixed Income, Citigroup and HSBC. He specializes in risk management, credit and operation management, and delivers unparalleled insight into the investment landscape of the Asia Pacific region.
Jaideep has a BA in Economics from the Sriram College of Commerce in New Delhi, and a MA in Management Studies (Finance and Marketing) from the University of Bombay.
I am excited to bring my extensive experience in developing technology businesses to the Authomate team, providing support in business development, product development, business growth management and fund raising. The Authomate product suite offers an exciting revolution in the next generation of data security and I am pleased to be supporting an excellent Authomate leadership team.
Mr. Leddy recently retired as the Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Telematics, Inc. (f.k.a. Hughes Telematics). Verizon Telematics is the leading provider of full service connected services to the automobile industry providing services to both factory equipped vehicles and aftermarket vehicles. Mr. Leddy was the founder of Hughes Telematics in 2006 and provided executive leadership in the development of the company’s strategic vision and implementation of its connected car services. Mr. Leddy served as a member of its board of directors since the inception and as the Chief Executive Officer from December 2006.
From June 2002 through December 2006, Mr. Leddy served as Chief Executive Officer and President of SkyTerra Communications, Inc. (SkyTerra). From September 1980 to December 2001, Mr. Leddy worked for EMS Technologies serving as its President for many of those years. Mr. Leddy presently serves on the board of directors for Global Eagle Entertainment. From 2005 to 2011, Mr. Leddy served on the board of directors of Hughes Communications, Inc. From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Leddy served on the board of directors of SkyTerra. Mr. Leddy received his bachelor’s degree in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
The goal of being security can only be achieved by significantly hindering the offenders, attackers, and hackers. You can rarely remove human error, so the question is how can you prioritize the other areas of security and reduce risk. Authentication, over and over again, it ranked the highest risk area, least expensive to improve, and provides the highest return in terms of dollars spent to risk reduced. Simplicity is key to success, and I see Authomate as that magical missing link between user experience, improved security, lower risk and being extremely cost effective.
Doug is globally recognized security executive with over twenty-five years of leadership experience with service providers that deliver security and risk management services to enterprises, service providers and government organizations.
Doug provides leadership through example by maintaining his technical and market knowledge by participating in strategic customer engagements and industry events. He is a highly respected speaker, author, and visionary within the industry.
Prior to his tenure with SAVANTURE, Doug held multiple, notable cyber and physical security, risk, and business continuity leadership roles. He served as the CEO of VBrick Systems, the President and CSO of SilverSky, COO of BT Counterpane, and CSO at Peak XV.
Doug has also held roles within CSC, Sprint, and proudly served in the United States Air Force.
I have been associated with Authomate since conception back in 2011, as I saw Piyush’s vision and anticipation of problems, which today in 2016 are playing out literally on a daily basis and on a global scale. Prevention of identity theft, robust protection of confidentiality and any form data, are critical need of the hour, if the new world of internet commerce – whether B2B, B2C, C2C – has to flourish! Authomate is the holy grail!
Jaideep currently runs AARK Global, the Hong Kong-based, boutique investment and advisory vehicle.
He was previously a Managing Director at D.B. Zwirn Asia, joining in May 2006 and based in Hong Kong, leading the firm’s investment activity in Asia Pacific.
Since January 2005, he worked as a Partner and the Head of the Special Situations Group at Actis Capital in London.
From 1998 – 2003 he served as a Managing Director for Cerberus Capital Management in Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and China.
During his successful career in finance, he has held various senior positions at Peregrine Fixed Income, Citigroup and HSBC. He specializes in risk management, credit and operation management, and delivers unparalleled insight into the investment landscape of the Asia Pacific region.
Jaideep has a BA in Economics from the Sriram College of Commerce in New Delhi, and a MA in Management Studies (Finance and Marketing) from the University of Bombay.
I am excited to bring my extensive experience in developing technology businesses to the Authomate team, providing support in business development, product development, business growth management and fund raising. The Authomate product suite offers an exciting revolution in the next generation of data security and I am pleased to be supporting an excellent Authomate leadership team.
Mr. Leddy recently retired as the Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Telematics, Inc. (f.k.a. Hughes Telematics). Verizon Telematics is the leading provider of full service connected services to the automobile industry providing services to both factory equipped vehicles and aftermarket vehicles. Mr. Leddy was the founder of Hughes Telematics in 2006 and provided executive leadership in the development of the company’s strategic vision and implementation of its connected car services. Mr. Leddy served as a member of its board of directors since the inception and as the Chief Executive Officer from December 2006.
From June 2002 through December 2006, Mr. Leddy served as Chief Executive Officer and President of SkyTerra Communications, Inc. (SkyTerra). From September 1980 to December 2001, Mr. Leddy worked for EMS Technologies serving as its President for many of those years. Mr. Leddy presently serves on the board of directors for Global Eagle Entertainment. From 2005 to 2011, Mr. Leddy served on the board of directors of Hughes Communications, Inc. From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Leddy served on the board of directors of SkyTerra. Mr. Leddy received his bachelor’s degree in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Michael W. Reene is a Senior Corporate Strategist focused on Business Growth, Market Value Growth and Innovation Development. Focused on technology companies employing Big Data, SaaS, while protecting Data Privacy, he has served in a variety of “board-level” Senior Leadership and Corporate Development roles of which resulted in strategic, well-orchestrated exits valued at over $6B. He has a mix of world-class Technology brands with a healthy dose of corporate, entrepreneurial and high-change environments.
Reene serves on private technology boards at Rural Sourcing www.ruralsourcing.com and First Sports International www.first-sports.com. His most recent executive role was Senior Vice President within the public company PRGX www.prgx.com where Reene supported the turnaround initiative within a 40-year-old technology firm. Previously, he served in Senior Advisory roles to CEO/Board levels for SunGard, First Sports International, and Avocent, positioning the company for acquisition by Emerson for $1.2B. Reene served as Chief Strategy Officer at ChoicePoint from 2001 until its sale for $4.3B to Lexis-Nexis in 2008.
When I was first approached and asked to join the Authomate team, I was excited about the potential of both the company and its technology. The vision that was shared with me was not product-centric, but rather focused on reimagining and evolving processes and workflows that had been stoic and static for too long.
Authomate’s solution is more than authentication. It’s orchestration. It takes the process of physically identifying an individual and applies it to the digital world.
Most exciting of all, the company and its solutions are all about empowering the user through the use and manipulation of the hottest technologies – smartphones and cloud – to take their digital life back. Authomate doesn’t scare users into embracing strong, rigid security, it sets them free to conduct their digital business on their own terms without having to live in constant fear of breach or compromise.
I have a fundamental passion for security and all things about security. Moreover, I’m passionate about innovative approaches to security that materially improves the capabilities of businesses and individuals to protect themselves. Either through process improvement, technology advancements, or compelling practices, things that make security interesting and effective capture my attention. This is absolutely the case with Automate. Innovative technology, fresh and compelling approach to a very old and persistent challenge, and tangibly improves security. What’s not to get passionate about?
Jim is a proven security leader with over two decades of information security experience.
He has a history of outstanding performance and growth, business turnarounds, and global recognition for innovation in security strategies and execution.
Jim is a published, internationally-recognized expert on information security. He is currently with Optiv as the VP and GM of their security programs. Prior to Optiv he was with HP as the Global Security Practice Head and with British Telecom as the VP of Security Services for North America and the VP of Ethical Hacking for BT.
Prior to that was the Chief Security Officer for International Network Services, where he created the highest NSA rated professional security services organization in the world. From 1999 to 2002, he worked at Bell Labs for the advancement of security technologies. With Bell Labs, he led the development of a communications systems security architecture that resulted in a patent and is the X.805 ITU standard.
Jim is based on North Carolina with his family and is a contributor to the Green Beret Foundation and H3 in support of our wounded, ill, and injured warriors.
Jim is a proven security leader with over two decades of information security experience.
He has a history of outstanding performance and growth, business turnarounds, and global recognition for innovation in security strategies and execution.
Jim is a published, internationally-recognized expert on information security. He is currently with Optiv as the VP and GM of their security programs. Prior to Optiv he was with HP as the Global Security Practice Head and with British Telecom as the VP of Security Services for North America and the VP of Ethical Hacking for BT.
Prior to that was the Chief Security Officer for International Network Services, where he created the highest NSA rated professional security services organization in the world. From 1999 to 2002, he worked at Bell Labs for the advancement of security technologies. With Bell Labs, he led the development of a communications systems security architecture that resulted in a patent and is the X.805 ITU standard.
Jim is based on North Carolina with his family and is a contributor to the Green Beret Foundation and H3 in support of our wounded, ill, and injured warriors.