SpiderOak Names Tech Industry Veteran Christopher Skinner as CEO

CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SpiderOak, the provider of mission-critical data and systems security, announced today the appointment of Christopher J. Skinner as its new CEO. With two decades of experience scaling organizations in the technology, data, fintech, media, and retail spaces, Skinner will lead SpiderOak in its expansion into a new enterprise cybersecurity platform and sales.

SpiderOak uses the latest and most secure private blockchain technology to help organizations and individuals ward off military-grade cyberattacks. With attacks taking down computer systems of national governments and financial institutions worldwide and worming their way into the most critical functions of the internet, global spending on cybersecurity is projected to exceed $1 trillion over the next five years, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

"Christopher is a transformative leader with a powerful track record in building and scaling companies for massive growth," says William Wolf, chairman of the board of SpiderOak. "As SpiderOak enters this critical next phase of development – working to protect some of the top organizations in the world from potentially devastating breaches – Christopher brings the ideal skill set and experience to lead the company."

"CEOs and boards representing every industry in the Fortune 1000 are seeking to protect their software supply chain," says Skinner. "The exponentially expanding threat of data theft and criminal behavior affecting all companies provides a huge opportunity for SpiderOak to meet this need. Our best-in-class, end-to-end encryption technology, paired with authority management to confirm the identity of users, is unparalleled in the market today. Our core technology truly slashes risk for companies."

Enterprise application to defend against Trojan Horse attacks from digital bad actors

As CEO, Skinner will oversee strategy and operations at SpiderOak, bolstering its sales and marketing presence and driving innovation in its enterprise-level platform. SpiderOak built its reputation in cybersecurity with its encrypted storage and messaging applications targeted to individual users In the new platform, SpiderOak has leveraged its encryption and identity management processes to a broader enterprise application. A key element of the platform is a secure software updater that gives companies the ability to send customers secure updates to programs without allowing entry from bad actors.

"The newest cyberattack nightmare is the risk of automatic software updating," says Jonathan Moore, Chief Technology Officer at SpiderOak. "What was once considered the cornerstone of application security has been weaponized and turned against users. Through infecting updates, attacks can deliver malware straight to a million computers at once, like a Trojan Horse."

"As everything becomes increasingly digital and connected – from our cars to our home security systems to our baby monitors to our keypad-entry doors – there are millions more entry points through which criminals can enter our systems and lives," says Skinner. "SpiderOak is securing these potential weak spots in the software supply chain so that we're not only detecting potential breaches, but preventing them before they happen and can cause damage."

SpiderOak Founder, Alan Fairless, continued: "For 11 years SpiderOak has led the way for enterprise-friendly products designed first for security with end-to-end encryption. As attacks against organizations escalate, Christopher is uniquely qualified to lead our team and further expand SpiderOak's market presence, authentication, and supply chain protection capabilities to the enterprise."

Bringing tech, innovation, and growth experience to company expansion

Prior to SpiderOak, Skinner worked to drive steep-curve growth at a number of companies, serving as CEO and Chief Innovation Officer within organizations in the U.S. and overseas. He propelled both maturing start-ups as well as new disruptors – including Oreck, eSurance, and Vodafone – into high-growth periods. He helped define and innovate search engine management and was part of Google's acquisition of Performics.

Most recently, Skinner served as Chief Innovation Officer at the rapidly growing Raise Marketplace, an online marketplace where consumers buy and sell their gift cards and merchandise credits. He helped organize the company for growth and scale. Prior to Raise, Skinner was Vice President of Strategic Insight at digital media-buying technology provider Centro, serving in a high-level, strategic technical leadership role, where he established a stronger talent- and training-focused HR department.

At United Airlines, Skinner implemented a digital marketing transformation, and, at Vodafone, he drove strong e-commerce sales growth in major E.U. markets within 18 months.

Skinner's work with Oreck Corporation transformed the company from a small manufacturer to a large, direct-to-consumer model throughout the U.S., Canada, and parts of Europe. His execution boosted annual revenues by multiples, inventing technology that helped connect call center, store, and e-commerce.

For more information about Christopher Skinner or SpiderOak, please contact Davia Temin at 212.588.8788 or [email protected].

About SpiderOak  

SpiderOak provides mission-critical data and systems security for organizations and individuals. Using the latest and most secure blockchain technology and encryption, paired with identity management, SpiderOak's platform defends client assets, intellectual property, and operations against military-grade cyberattacks. Our offerings include an enterprise platform protecting all of an organization's data, software, applications, and devices; a secure software updater allowing companies to develop and update their applications in a secure way; and secure backup, messaging, file sharing, and storage for large and small businesses and individuals. For more information, please visit https://spideroak.com.

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