Annual list recognizes the businesses that set the standard for workplace success and awards excellence in company culture

Orlando, FL, June 2, 2026 – BlackCloak is proud to announce it has been named to Inc.’s 2026 Best Workplaces list, recognized in the Security Industry category. The list, which can be found at Inc.com, honors American companies that have built exceptional workplaces and vibrant cultures that support their teams and businesses, whether in-person, remote, or hybrid. This marks the second consecutive year BlackCloak has been named to the list. 

The award is the result of comprehensive measurement and evaluation of hundreds of applicants. The process involved a detailed employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace, covering critical elements such as management effectiveness, perks, professional development, and overall company culture. Each company’s benefits were also audited to determine the overall score. BlackCloak is honored to be included among the 507 companies recognized this year.

“BlackCloak’s culture is shaped by how the entire team, from those on the front lines of personal cyber protection to the executive staff, live our company values each and every day,” said Dr. Chris Pierson, Founder and CEO of BlackCloak. “We are a remote-first company invested in employee development with programs to support all team members in their professional growth. Every team member has a voice in how BlackCloak innovates and advances Digital Executive Protection. I have tremendous pride in our team’s growth and professionalism as we continue to safeguard the most targeted individuals and their families.”

BlackCloak safeguards the personal digital lives of corporate executives, boards of directors, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices from sophisticated cyber threats. As the pioneer of Digital Executive Protection (DEP), BlackCloakleads the industry with its full-category solution that protects the privacy, personal devices, and home networks of its clients backed by concierge support and expert-led incident response from a US-based security operations center (SOC).

“This year’s Best Workplaces list goes beyond great company culture–it highlights companies making meaningful and sustained investment in their employees,” says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. “Even in a labor market that favors employers, these companies understand that an intentional and authentic commitment to their teams drives stronger employee retention, engagement, and ultimately, a stronger business overall.”

To view the full list of winners, visit Inc.com. 

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 Inc. 

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for entrepreneurs and business. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

Media Contact

Beth Trier
Trier & Co. for BlackCloak
[email protected]

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]

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.