Optiv Security Hires Industry Veterans to Expand Offerings; Help Clients Better Achieve Measurable Results

Former Leaders from PwC, Symantec, Dell SecureWorks and the Department of Defense to Spearhead Optiv’s Partner Solutions and Security Services Teams

DENVER – June 13, 2017 - Optiv Security, a market-leading provider of end-to-end cyber security solutions, today announced the appointment of three industry veterans to lead its partner solutions, risk and compliance services, and managed security services (MSS) functions. These moves further Optiv’s larger strategy of providing organizations with holistic cyber security solutions comprised of the right products and services to achieve measurable results. 

Anirban (Oni) Chakravartti joins Optiv as senior vice president of worldwide partner solutions; Michael Lines will serve as vice president of strategy, risk and compliance advisory services; and Doug Steelman will be vice president of MSS. These new leaders bring extensive business management, cyber security and threat intelligence expertise and experience working in the public and private sectors. The hires follow the recent addition of David Castignola, who was appointed executive vice president of worldwide sales in April.

“We are experiencing a rapid acceleration of organizations looking to partner with one solution provider that has the ability to address the full spectrum of security challenges,” said Tim Hoffman, executive vice president of worldwide client solutions for Optiv. “Optiv has a seasoned, dedicated team of experts delivering a comprehensive suite of cyber security services and solutions to meet the ever-changing needs of organizations. We are thrilled to have Oni, Michael and Doug bring their exceptional expertise and experience that will enable Optiv to better serve our clients around the world.”

Chakravartti is a visionary and analytical thinker with strong operational leadership and a track record for building high performance teams. As a member of Optiv’s executive leadership team, he leads the strategy, development and management of Optiv’s partnerships with leading security technology manufacturers. His charter also entails Optiv’s network to include leading technology providers in key areas such as cloud. Prior to joining the company, he was global head of strategic partners for Symantec, where he was responsible for defining and driving strategic partner business for the company worldwide. He drove double digit growth with key partners during this period and scaled business with net new wins globally. Chakravartti also served in various sales leadership, marketing and business development roles at Cisco, AMD and HP/Compaq. During his 20-year career, he managed channel partners and various business units on a global scale and was instrumental in launching major brands and products with AMD and HP worldwide.

Lines is a highly skilled business executive with more than 40 years of security and technology industry experience. He is responsible for leading Optiv’s security experts in helping clients develop and run the security programs that meet their business, risk and compliance needs. Before joining Optiv, Lines held numerous executive roles with leading technology and internet companies, most recently chief information security officer for D+H, where he created new corporate departments for corporate security policy and risk, threat intelligence, incident response and security architecture. Prior to that, he was the global chief information security officer at PwC, where he was part of the company’s information risk and review committee, and evaluated global technology initiatives for information security, privacy and legal/regulatory risks. He also served as chief security officer for TransUnion, chief information security officer for Fair Isaac Corp. and chief information officer for Narex Corp. Lines also founded and led a popular web services portal for project managers, which he later sold to the International Institute of Learning, Inc.

Steelman brings to Optiv more than 26 years of MSS and threat analysis experience working in the public and private sectors. At Optiv, he will play a key role in driving the strategy and expansion of the company’s MSS capabilities and offerings and will manage and oversee the MSS organization, operations and delivery. Steelman previously spent five years as chief security officer at Dell SecureWorks. He served as the cyber command director of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) dynamic network defense operations, where he was responsible for synchronizing, integrating and directing cyber capabilities to defend the critical missions that DoD networks support. Steelman also was the director of DoD network defense for the joint task force-global network operations and pentagon network assurance division chief. Instrumental in establishing the framework for vulnerability and threat prioritization for DoD security operations and execution, Steelman was awarded an army commendation for his accomplishments. He began his career serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Supporting Quotes: 

• “It has become increasingly difficult for organizations to determine how to mitigate business risk due to the constantly challenging cyber threat landscape. Optiv’s unique perspective from working with its extensive network of technology manufacturers provides insight into what combination of solutions and services will map to each client’s needs and help them achieve real results. I look forward to building on Optiv’s exceptional partner community to even better serve the company’s global clients.” 
  
  – Anirban Chakravartti, senior vice president of worldwide partner solutions

• “To be successful in today’s competitive global marketplace, organizations need to develop and execute on a security strategy that takes into account the plethora of regulatory, cultural and business challenges that exist in a multinational environment. I am excited to use my experience leading global security and risk organizations to benefit Optiv’s clients trying to achieve security success in this increasingly complex and dynamic business climate.” 
  
  – Michael Lines, vice president of strategy, risk and compliance advisory services

• “Today’s businesses and governments have very unique cyber security problems that require specific expertise and resources to solve. Yet finding and retaining experienced individuals who have the ability to monitor for potential threats to the organization and know how to respond to them appropriately has become increasingly difficult. I am thrilled to be a part of Optiv’s work that fills that critical need for clients who require ongoing support of their security programs. The company is well-positioned to continue bringing new, innovative solutions to market.”
  
  – Doug Steelman, vice president of managed security services