The Fractional CISO Canada Team

Fractional CISO Canada’s clients enjoy a Toronto-based cybersecurity team consisting of Virtual CISO Principal Alan McDermott, CISSP, and Cybersecurity Operations Manager, Chinmayee Paunikar.

Chinmayee and Alan are backed up by the rest of Fractional CISO’s U.S.-based team. You will gain access to the collective experience of our entire team, and different, specialized analysts may be tapped to serve your account, as needed. 

We’re also proud to be one of Inc. Magazine’s 2023 Best Workplaces!

Rob Black, CISSP
Founder & CEO

Rob founded Fractional CISO in 2017 and has helped dozens of companies improve their security posture as a vCISO. He consults, speaks, and writes on IoT and security. Rob has held product security and corporate security leadership positions at PTC ThingWorx, Axeda and RSA Security. He received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and holds two Bachelor of Science degrees from Washington University in St. Louis: Computer Science and System Science & Engineering. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

RJ Russell, vCISO Principal

RJ Russell, CISSP
VP & vCISO Principal

As a Virtual CISO, RJ helps clients understand and manage their cybersecurity risk. He has previously worked in financial services managing the security and infrastructure of State Street’s CRD investment management SaaS platform. He also has more than 20 years of experience supporting enterprise production environments across several industries. RJ received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree from Purdue University. He also is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Dan Bjorklund, vCISO Principal

Dan Bjorklund, CISSP, CMMC-RP
vCISO Principal

Dan is a vCISO Principal for Fractional CISO. In this role, he provides strategic guidance and instruction to help clients build and manage their security and compliance programs. Dan served in the U.S. Army for 20+ years and entered the information security industry shortly after retiring from service. He has helped many Department of Defense contractors and commercial SMBs with their security and compliance programs. He has a master’s degree in Information Security from Capella University, is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and is a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification – Registered Practitioner (CMMC-RP).
 
Alan McDermott, vCISO Principal

Alan McDermott, CISSP, CIPP/C, CISA
vCISO Principal

As a Virtual CISO, Alan provides strategic guidance to executive teams. He is a skilled communicator, capable of helping key stakeholders make the best security decisions for their organization. Alan has over a decade of experience serving as a CISO in a number of industries, including insurance, IT data, and fintech. Alan has an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and two undergraduate degrees in computer science and commerce. Alan is based in Toronto, Canada, and boasts CISSP, CIPP/C, and CISA among his many security certifications.

Aimee Cardwell vCISO Principal

Aimee Cadwell, CISSP
vCISO Principal

Chinmayee Paunikar, CISSP
Cybersecurity Operations Manager

Chinmayee helps companies develop and manage their cybersecurity programs. Chinmayee has assisted multiple companies achieve their SOC 2 certification goals. She also performs vulnerability assessments and quantitative risk assessments for organizations. Chinmayee is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). Chinmayee received a Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from University of Mumbai.

Samantha Rutledge, CISSP
Manager, Cybersecurity Analysts

As the Manager of Cybersecurity Analysts, Samantha helps with training, guidance, and enablement of the analyst team. Samantha has been employed at Fractional CISO since 2019 and previously worked as a cybersecurity analyst herself. She has worked at Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Global Security department and Centene Corporation’s Cybersecurity Incident Response Team (CSIRT). Samantha is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). She has a bachelor’s degree from Western Governor’s University in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance.

Brad Lauer, Operations Director

Brad Lauer
Vice President of Business Operations

As the Senior Director of Business Operations, Brad is helping to improve Fractional CISO’s internal operations and to make the business more scalable. He is responsible for Fractional CISO’s finances, recruiting, and more. Brad has more than a decade of experience in growing small businesses. In his career, he has led technology, marketing, and operations teams to success. Brad has studied politics, government, and history at Regis University and Harvard University.

Blane Erwin
Marketing Manager

Blane leads Fractional CISO’s editorial efforts, helping the team share their cybersecurity knowledge on the blog and monthly newsletter, Tales from the Click. Blane has a background in digital marketing and broadcast journalism. Before joining the Fractional CISO team, he helped run the marketing for electric vehicle retailer Current Automotive, and was a television news reporter for NCTV17. Blane has a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Communication from North Central College.

Lucy Cobb, Operations Specialist for Fractional CISO

Lucy Cobb
Operations Manager

 
Meghan Carroll, Administrative Assistant

Meghan Durkee
Sales and Operations Coordinator

Meghan helps to keep the entirety of the team working in harmony. She manages the office and helps handle accounts payable and receivable. She brings over a decade of organizational experience from call centers, banking, and healthcare to Fractional CISO. 
Lars Grithmark

Lars Githmark
Business Development Representative

Lars Githmark performs outreach to tech companies, helping them to learn about Fractional CISO, cybersecurity compliance, and risk management. He has over four years of sales experience across the personal finance, insurance, and business accounting industries. Some of that time was spent living and working for a tech company in Hong Kong. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Gordon College.
 
Ari Lazarine, Business Development Representative for Fractional CISO

Ari Lazarine
Business Development Representative

Ari Lazarine helps customers learn more about Fractional CISO’s services so they can properly evaluate what cybersecurity support they need. He is a strong communicator, skilled at listening to and understanding to each customer. Before coming to Fractional CISO, Ari held a sales role at Secureframe. He has a bachelor’s degree in Music Business from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
 
 

Kevin Walsh
Technical Project Coordinator

 
Sean Kelley - Cybersecurity Analyst for Fractional CISO

Sean Kelley
Senior Cybersecurity Analyst

As a senior cybersecurity analyst, Sean is focused on detecting and quantifying risk for clients. He has a strong background in software development, having worked as a quality assurance tester and a software engineer. Sean has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is pursuing a Master’s in Computer Science at Brandeis University.
Owen Wight, Cybersecurity Analyst for Fractional CISO

Owen Wight
Cybersecurity Analyst

As a cybersecurity analyst, Owen helps companies secure themselves by collecting and evaluating security program data. In college, he researched and developed improvements for cyber ranges used in capture-the-flag competitions and hackathons. Owen has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering, with a focus in cybersecurity, from University of Connecticut.
 
 
Isaac Reeves, Cybersecurity Analyst

Isaac Reeves
Cybersecurity Analyst

 
 
Freddie Pace, Cybersecurity Analyst

Freddie Pace
Cybersecurity Analyst

 
 
 

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Is your Cyber Insurance really going to cover you?

Only 1/3 of cyber insurance policies actually pay out in incidents. Most companies have cyber insurance policies that insure too little, or too much, and have absurdly low caps and silly exclusions.

To learn more about cyber insurance and determine if you have the right coverage for you, join us for a free vCISO Office Hours session on Tuesday, April 18 at 1 p.m. eastern time. Bring your questions!

New Release: Free SOC 2 eBook!

Getting ready for your first SOC 2? This eBook is full of actionable advice to help you prepare for and succeed in your first SOC 2 audit.

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