PROTECT YOUR DIGITAL LIFE™
BlackCloak Scales Public Sector Initiative With Strategic Hire To Safeguard Government and Federal Leaders
The Digital Executive Protection Pioneer Taps Industry Expert Darrin Curtis to Oversee the Program
Orlando, FL – May 28, 2026 – BlackCloak, the pioneer of Digital Executive Protection (DEP) for corporate leaders, board members, and Family Offices, announced the hiring of Darrin Curtis to expand its public sector program.
As Managing Director of Public Sector at BlackCloak, Curtis brings more than 30 years of experience in technology, and more than 20 years in cybersecurity and the public sector, to expand the company’s established program that protects high-profile politicians, government officials, and their families from increasing cyber threats in their personal digital lives.
The hire comes amid an increase in attacks against public governmental figures, from Capitol Hill to federal departments and judges.
“Having Darrin join the team signifies our unique ability to answer the needs of the market as targeted attacks from global and domestic threat actors against politicians and other public figures in government continue to rise,” said Rob Duncan, Chief Revenue Officer at BlackCloak. “Darrin’s extensive knowledge of the global threat landscape and understanding of how to navigate this often complex environment will help provide the protection necessary to keep those most highly targeted in government safe.”
“Having the full support of this organization and being able to help facilitate this mission that has a real, measurable impact was extremely alluring to me,” said Curtis. “I’m excited to apply my knowledge and years of experience into how this ecosystem operates to showcase BlackCloak’s DEP Platform, extending enterprise-grade protection to the personal lives of high-profile government officials who routinely find themselves in the crosshairs of sophisticated threats.”
Curtis previously led federal and public sector departments at F5, Okta, Menlo Security, and Trend Micro (now TrendAI). At Menlo Security, Curtis oversaw a significant contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, resulting in a full deployment of 3.45 million users. In his various roles, Curtis has built programs from the ground up, and has conducted both overhauls and expansions, displaying the expertise needed as BlackCloak sharpens its focus to safeguard government and public sector leaders.
BlackCloak addresses the security gap that exists in the personal lives of these public figures through four pillars of protection that make up their Digital Executive Protection Platform: Privacy & Identity Defense, AI Threat Protection, Executive Threat Intelligence, and Personal Security Operations. As cybercriminal tactics grow in sophistication, BlackCloak’s tech-forward approach keeps pace, ensuring that privacy, personal devices, and home networks remain secure.
About BlackCloak
BlackCloak secures the personal digital lives of corporate executives, board members, high-net-worth individuals, and their families from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks. Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Digital Executive Protection Platform is a full-category solution that delivers a multi-layered security operations approach: 24/7 automated monitoring and threat mitigation for devices. This is paired with expert-led incident response from a US-based SOC. BlackCloak’s systems work around the clock to block risks on devices, while specialists provide dedicated support for complex security events. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io.
Media Contact
Beth Trier
Trier & Co. for BlackCloak
[email protected]
BlackCloak Founder and CEO Dr. Chris Pierson to Present at the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit 2026
Dr. Pierson to be Joined by Hazel Cerra, BlackCloak’s Director of Digital Security Convergence and a U.S. Secret Service Veteran, in Enlightening Discussion About the Role of Digital Executive Protection in Bridging Essential Gaps in Corporate Security
Orlando, FL – May 14, 2026 – BlackCloak, the pioneer in Digital Executive Protection (DEP) for corporate executives, boards of directors, and Family Offices, announces that its Founder and CEO Dr. Chris Pierson will present How Digital Footprints Can Lead to Attacks on Executives & Their Families at the upcoming Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, held June 1-3, 2026, in National Harbor, MD.
Dr. Pierson will be joined by Hazel Cerra, BlackCloak Director of Digital Security Convergence. Together, they will address the convergence of physical and digital threats to leaders, the risks facing corporations stemming from executives’ expansive digital footprints, and how a full-category DEP program bridges critical gaps in enterprise security.
A recent Gartner report, Navigate Executive Protection Solutions for Digital Threat Defense,¹ notes, “Adversaries are increasingly targeting executives in the cyber and physical realm, driving greater urgency for organizations to develop more robust cybersecurity strategies to protect their greatest asset — people.”
“In our work with Fortune 500 companies, we see first-hand what numerous reports indicate: highly motivated threat actors know the personal lives of corporate executives represent a gap in enterprise security and are actively exploiting them and their family members at an unprecedented scale,” said Dr. Pierson. “Business email compromise, financial fraud, and AI-powered threats were recently identified in the FBI Internet Crime and Complaint Center’s annual report as the greatest contributors to the rising costs of cybercrime. A full-category Digital Executive Protection program can prevent such incidents from becoming risk and compliance nightmares and ensure that executives and their families are safeguarded. Hazel and I are excited to bring this topic to light to educate CISOs and CSOs on the need for DEP and actionable steps to take immediate preventive action.”
“Protecting business leaders and their loved ones should be a mission-critical risk management priority for every enterprise, regardless of size, location, or industry,” said Cerra. “The financial and reputational toll of cybercrime on organizations is rising as their executives are increasingly targeted as a way to bypass corporate perimeter defenses. DEP is about protecting people, brands, and the bottom line. Enterprise CISOs and CSOs can benefit greatly from understanding the required elements of a comprehensive DEP program that doesn’t put an additional burden on internal resources. I am glad to contribute my perspective and experience to this important discussion.”
About Dr. Chris Pierson
Dr. Chris Pierson is the Founder and CEO of BlackCloak, the pioneer in Digital Executive Protection for corporate executives, board members, and high-net-worth individuals and their families. Chris has been on the front lines of cybersecurity and privacy in both the public and private sectors for over 25 years. Previously at the Department of Homeland Security, he served for over a decade as a special government employee on the Cybersecurity and Privacy Committees. He also served as the Chief Privacy Officer for Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) U.S. Operations, as the Chief Information Security Officer for two prominent FinTech companies, and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Ponemon Institute.
About Hazel Cerra, MBA
In her role at BlackCloak, Hazel Cerra builds strategic partnerships with executive protection firms and with those who protect high-profile individuals and their families. She has more than 25 years of leadership experience with the U.S. Secret Service, where she led protection operations, intelligence investigations, and complex financial and cyber-enabled fraud investigations. She also held senior supervisory roles in the Philadelphia CyberFraud Investigative Squad and retired as the Resident Agent in Charge in the Atlantic City Resident Office. She is recognized for translating proven methodologies for protecting the U.S. President into modern cybersecurity strategies to safeguard executives, board members, and their families as digital and physical threats converge. She is a Certified Information Security Manager through ISACA.
BlackCloak is exhibiting in booth #742 at the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit. For more information about its Digital Executive Protection solution, visit https://blackcloak.io/executives/.
About BlackCloak
BlackCloak secures the personal digital lives of corporate executives, board members, high-net-worth individuals, and their families from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks. Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Digital Executive Protection Platform is a full-category solution backed by expert concierge support and incident response from a US-based SOC team. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io.
About the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit
Gartner analysts will present the latest insights for security and risk management leaders at the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summits, taking place March 9-10 in Mumbai, March 16-17 in Sydney, June 1-3 in National Harbor, MD, July 22-24 in Tokyo, August 4-5 in Sao Paulo and September 22-24 in London. Follow news and updates from the conferences on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerSEC.
Media Contact
Beth Trier
Trier & Co. for BlackCloak
[email protected]
¹Gartner – Navigate Executive Protection Solutions for Digital Threat Defense by By: Elizabeth Kim, Mitchell Schneider, November 3, 2025. GARTNER is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
BlackCloak Evolves Digital Executive Protection Into Full-Category, Unified Platform
The pioneer of DEP addresses the convergence of digital exposure and physical risk to executives through four core pillars of protection, providing a one-vendor solution to prevent a personal breach from reaching the enterprise.
Orlando, FL – Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – BlackCloak today announced its integrated Digital Executive Protection (DEP) Platform, the only solution built for the current reality of escalating executive risk as digital and physical threats converge.
As the DEP pioneer, BlackCloak recognizes that the threat landscape has fundamentally shifted. The personal digital lives of executives now serve as the main breach path into the enterprise, with C-suite executives now 12 times more likely to be targeted than other employees. DEP has shifted from a “nice-to-have” to an established and critical corporate mandate. A significant gap remains as CISOs and security teams are unable to secure an executive’s private life without violating privacy laws or creating additional operational burden.
The BlackCloak Digital Executive Protection Platform is the definitive answer. By formalizing the components of a full-category DEP program, BlackCloak provides enterprise-grade security expected by leadership, while maintaining rigid privacy boundaries. BlackCloak’s advancements in technology have created a unified, privacy-first cybersecurity platform that closes vulnerabilities, mitigating risk and reducing the likelihood of a personal attack pivoting into a corporate breach. By maintaining executive privacy and without burdening internal corporate resources, the BlackCloak Platform safeguards the entire digital footprints of executives, board members, high-net-worth individuals, and their families through four core pillars of protection: Privacy & Identity Defense, AI Threat Protection, Executive Threat Intelligence, and Personal Security Operations.
“As the pioneer of Digital Executive Protection, BlackCloak carries a profound responsibility to define the standards of security for those who lead our most critical organizations,” said BlackCloak Founder and CEO Dr. Chris Pierson. “This integrated platform represents a non-negotiable strategic imperative in our journey to offer full-category protection for the world’s most high-profile individuals and their families.”
“The BlackCloak team has listened to the daily challenges security leaders face to build a platform that doesn’t just respond to threats, but anticipates them,” said Senior Vice President of Product Matt Covington. “Our technology is designed to meet the demands of today’s evolving threats, and our standalone platform doesn’t require any additional integration from the organization, making this a true single vendor comprehensive protection solution.”
Four Pillars of the BlackCloak Digital Executive Protection Platform
Privacy & Identity Defense
Through its own self-healing collection and removal agents, BlackCloak’s proprietary solution is able to reduce the amount of personal data attackers can find and exploit across public, deep, and dark web sources. This service gives early visibility into identity exposure and removes high-risk data often used for reconnaissance before an attack is launched.
Features include:
- Data Broker Removal: Self-healing collection and removal agents find and remove personal data from data broker sites using automated, adaptive takedown processes.
- Search Suppression: Ensures search results containing personally identifiable information from data broker sites are not included in Google search results.
- Deep & Dark Web Monitoring: Scans the deep and dark web for exposed credentials linked to executive accounts and provides real-time alerts.
- Home Blurring: Submits requests to blur executive homes from Google Street View, reducing physical targeting risks.
- Enhanced Identity Theft Protection & Credit Monitoring: Real-time alerts, home and auto title monitoring, ID theft insurance, and more.
AI Threat Protection
Protects executives from AI-driven threats that use social engineering to launch deepfake attacks, with real-time validation of communications and intelligence.
Features include:
- Impersonation Protection: In-app feature that allows members to validate the legitimacy of phone calls, messages, and other communications from other BlackCloak members/family members with whom they’re connected, combating deepfake and social engineering attacks.
- Exposure Intelligence: Allows for monitoring and analyzing content across multiple channels to detect disinformation campaigns or reputational threats before they escalate.
Executive Threat Intelligence
Provides a range of personalized intelligence reports that highlight digital and physical risks targeting executives and their families. Delivers actionable data and clear visibility into threats shaped by travel and personal exposure, enabling proactive protection rather than reactive response.
Features include:
- Executive Threat Assessments: A comprehensive assessment that identifies digital vulnerabilities and personal security posture.
- Physical Security Intelligence: Multi-source intelligence that identifies and assesses data points that could lead to physical harm, so security teams are alerted and can take action quickly.
- Member Travel Advisories: Evaluates destination-specific risks across cybersecurity, physical safety, and geopolitical factors.
Personal Security Operations
What distinguishes BlackCloak is its high-touch Concierge and US-based Security Operations Center that protects personal devices and home networks, along with rapid incident response. Provides enterprise-grade personal cybersecurity for executives and their families, resolving threats and remediating breaches without impacting corporate resources.
Features include:
- Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR): Continuously monitors personal devices for vulnerabilities and blocks malware/ransomware.
- Home Network Protection: Routinely scans home networks to identify vulnerabilities and compromised IoT devices.
- Incident Response: Experts from BlackCloak’s US-based SOC investigate blocked malware, contain and remediate active attacks, and assist in recovering from major personal cybersecurity incidents.
- Concierge Support: Access to dedicated cybersecurity experts for white-glove support, guidance, troubleshooting, and proactive protection tailored to each member.
Continuing to bridge critical security divides, BlackCloak’s unified platform meets the demands of today’s executive risk, safeguarding the personal digital lives of senior leaders and their families.
About BlackCloak
BlackCloak secures the personal digital lives of corporate executives, board members, high-net-worth individuals, and their families from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks. Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Digital Executive Protection Platform is a full-category solution backed by expert concierge support, and incident response from a US-based SOC team. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io.
Media Contact
Beth Trier
Trier & Co. for BlackCloak
[email protected]
Jana Whitcomb of BlackCloak Named to CRN’s 2026 Women of the Channel List
Veteran Channel Chief Recognized for Driving a Partner-First Strategy that Underscores the Value of Digital Executive Protection as a Board-Level Security Priority
Orlando, FL — May 4, 2026 — BlackCloak, a pioneer in Digital Executive Protection (DEP) for corporate executives, boards of directors, and Family Offices, announced today that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has recognized Jana Whitcomb, Vice President of Partnerships, for inclusion in the prestigious Women of the Channel for 2026.
This annual CRN list celebrates women from vendors, distributors, solution providers and other channel-focused organizations who make a positive difference in the IT ecosystem. The CRN 2026 Women of the Channel honorees are innovative and strategic leaders committed to advancing channel excellence and supporting the success of their partners and customers.
Whitcomb transformed BlackCloak’s channel into its Signature Alliance program, a partner-led ecosystem spanning the enterprise channel, strategic alliances, and Private Client Services. She leads the company’s most strategic partner relationships, embedding Digital Executive Protection into enterprise cybersecurity and advisory engagements and elevating personal digital risk to a board-level priority. By building a cross-industry partner network across cybersecurity, wealth management, legal, and insurance sectors, she has enabled partners to unlock new revenue streams while addressing executive risk beyond the traditional enterprise perimeter.
“It’s a privilege to celebrate the remarkable achievements of these women who are driving meaningful change across the IT channel,” said Jennifer Follett, VP of U.S. Content and Executive Editor, CRN at The Channel Company. “Each honoree has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a commitment to bold, innovative strategies that fuel transformation, growth, and success for their organizations and the broader channel. We’re proud to recognize their impact and look forward to seeing how they continue to shape the future of our industry.”
“Jana has fundamentally changed how BlackCloak scales through the channel. She didn’t just expand our partner ecosystem, she made it operational, repeatable, and revenue-driven,” said Chris Pierson, Founder and CEO of BlackCloak. “By aligning enterprise alliances with Private Client Services and building a true partner-led growth model, she has helped BlackCloak and our partners lead in securing the personal digital lives of those most targeted by cyber threats.”
The 2026 Women of the Channel will be featured online beginning May 4 at crn.com/wotc.
About BlackCloak
BlackCloak protects corporate executives and high-profile individuals from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks. Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ Platform is a holistic solution that includes mobile and desktop apps and concierge support. Executives and high-profile individuals gain complete peace of mind knowing their families, reputations, and finances are protected. Rest assured that companies’ brands, intellectual property, data, and finances are protected against threats from executives without invading their personal lives. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io and follow us on LinkedIn.
About The Channel Company
The Channel Company (TCC) is the global leader in channel growth for the world’s top technology brands. We accelerate success across strategic channels for tech vendors, solution providers and end users with premier media brands, integrated marketing and event services, strategic consulting, and exclusive market and audience insights. TCC is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. For more information, visit thechannelco.com.
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© 2026 The Channel Company, Inc. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Jessica Beaudet
The Channel Company
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