Canada-based information security company Plurilock Security (PLUR.V) has been adding new bodies around the board room with almost monotonous regularity of late, and today they added another to what’s beginning to look like an all-star lineup.
[Supply chain and distribution expert Brian] Aebig is a 35-year veteran of the IT (information technology) industry, having served as the leader of a national Canadian organization with annual sales of $120-million, as a general manager and vice-president at Avnet distribution with annual sales of $850-million, and as vice-president, sales, for Tech Data Canada with sales of $2.8-billion.
That got me looking at who was already there and, wouldn’t you know, I was take aback by the pedigree of the room.
Here’s a detailed look at the Plurilock team, where they came from, and what they add.
First, management:
- Ian Paterson – CEO: A data analytics entrepreneur with 15 years of experience, strong track record in commercializing data science solutions and securing multi-million dollar accounts.
- Tucker Zengerle – COO: 20 years of experience in scaling operations and driving growth, with a background in banking, private equity, and cybersecurity.
- Philip De Souza – Serial entrepreneur with 30 years of experience, founded Aurora, a data security consulting firm, now a subsidiary of Plurilock.
- Ali Hakimzadeh – Executive Chairman: 25 years in corporate finance and investment banking, overseeing over $1B in small cap financing and M&A.
Not a bad group, but it gets bigger and badder.
Here’s the rest of the board:
- Jennifer Swindell – Director: Former SVP at Perspecta and Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH.NYSE), U.S. Navy Special Operations Officer, led security services for U.S. government agencies.
- Blake Corbet – Director: Chief Corporate Development Officer at BBTV (BBTV.T), extensive experience in investment banking and technology IPOs.
- Ed Hammersla – Director: Over 40 years in software technology and cybersecurity, held key roles at Forcepoint and Raytheon Cyber Products (RTX.NYSE).
Some big names starting to appear.
Now let’s look at the advisory board:
- VADM Mike McConnell (USN Ret.) – Advisor: Former Director of the NSA and National Intelligence, served under multiple U.S. presidents.
- Gaétan Houle – Advisor: Former Chief Security Officer at Airbus (AIR.BMAD) and Bombardier (BBD.B.T), held various high-level security positions in the Canadian government.
- Chris Pierce – Advisor: Former EVP at Booz Allen Hamilton and U.S. Navy Lieutenant, has expertise in organizational management.
- Joe Sexton – Advisor: Former President of Worldwide Field Operations for Cisco (CSCO.Q) subsidiary AppDynamics, director at Laconic, Aqua Security, XFactor, and Menlo Security.
- VADM Jan Tighe (USN Ret.) – Advisor: Former Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, serves on boards including Goldman Sachs (GS.NYSE – $2.8 trillion assets under management) and General Motors (GM.NYSE).
- Patrick Gorman – Advisor: Former Senior Executive Advisor for Cybersecurity at Booz Allen Hamilton and CISO at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch (BAC.NYSE – $1.6 trillion assets under management).
- Brandon Swafford – Advisor: Chief Information Security Officer at HPS Investment Partners ($106 billlion assets under management), extensive experience in cybersecurity.
- H. Bryan Cunningham – Advisor: Former White House cyber and national security lawyer, Executive Director of the UC Irvine Cybersecurity Policy and Research Institute.
If you’ll excuse the language, Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, that’s a lineup of the biggest names in cyber security, government, the military, aerospace, and not just banking but ‘mergers and acquisition.’
A twin hit from BAH which advises large companies on acquisitions, two mega banks with $4.4 TRILLION under management, a private equity giant with another hundo billion thrown around, multiple White House security advisors including the NSA, NI, Navy, IW, and the ED of one of the premier cybersecurity academic innovation houses in the world today.
Toss in Airbus, GM, Bombardier and you’ve locked down the aerospace world. I mean, what, you couldn’t find a spot for Warren Buffett in here?
A lot of companies on the junior markets put together ‘advisory boards’ that consist of whoever they can find; a frat alumni, the guy down the road you met at a barbeque one time, and a serial advisor who’ll put their name on anything for $85 in stock options.
THIS AINT THAT.
This is a raging hard lineup of heavy hitters with real world experience, the highest level contacts, and not just folk who’d pass a background check, but folk who’d RUN the background check.
Not so hidden in the sub-text is what these people would bring to Plurilock when the time comes; merger and acquisition networks for when it’s time to line up the big exit, government and military networks for loicking down new contracts with new contacts, and infosec expertise for the new Plurilock consulting arm.
This would normally be the bit where I tell you about all the things Plurlock does, if they were a client company, and how they’ve cleaned up the cap table and been on a share price tear.. but this ain’t that.
I’m just here to pay respect to an utter murderer’s row of multi-sector mega-talent that gives this plucky little Canadian infosecurity roll-up a real launchpad from which to blast.
And perhaps a moment to ponder whether this crew of massive names and accomplished reputations would give over their own brands for a pump and dump, or whether they see something big that the market hasn’t yet.
Not a client, but I’ve been buying.
— Chris Parry
FULL DISCLOSURE: No comemrcial connection, though the company was a client of ours a few years back.