Devin Ertel joins Menlo Security as CISO

Menlo Security announced the appointment of Devin Ertel as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). In this role, he is responsible for providing internal cybersecurity direction and policy insights to both the company and Menlo Security customers. As CISO, Ertel will also spearhead global efforts to reduce the company’s risk and security exposure.

Ertel is a seasoned information security professional with nearly 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Menlo Security, he served as CISO at BlackHawk Network, a multi-billion-dollar global FinTech leader in the prepaid gift cards and payments industry, where he managed a global team responsible for security, risk, and compliance.

“Organizations are often under the impression that productivity or user experience must be sacrificed to achieve security and that is simply not true anymore,” said Ertel. “I’m eager to build a security program that not only addresses industry challenges, but also enables our customers to do the same for their respective businesses. Menlo Security provides a unique, differentiated approach to securing work for the modern business and I’m excited to be a part of the journey.”

Previously, Ertel was the head of Security and IT at Guidebook, a venture-backed global SaaS company where he built and oversaw the security program. Ertel has held security positions in several Fortune 100 organizations. He also worked at Mandiant and the U.S. Federal Reserve where he had hands-on experience mitigating large, high-profile breaches and dealing with highly motivated global threat actors.

“Our leadership team is made up of unrelenting cybersecurity professionals and Devin is no exception. He brings the perfect blend of hands-on experience as a security practitioner with a proven track record of building and scaling successful security programs,” said Poornima DeBolle, Menlo Security co-founder and Chief Products Officer. “As a security company that aims to secure work for everyone, we’re thrilled to have Devin onboard to enhance our own security program as Menlo Security’s CISO.”

A respected thought leader, Ertel is a sought-after security advisor to early-stage companies, a frequent speaker at industry events, and has served as a technical editor of multiple top-selling security books. Ertel holds a Bachelor of Science in MIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.