Delhi schooled technocrat to ensure ‘CIA is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to further its mission’
Nand Mulchandani, an Indian-American Silicon Valley IT expert, has been appointed as the first ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of America’s top foreign spy outfit, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Mulchandani, who studied at a Delhi school before coming to the United States in 1987 for higher studies, has over 25 years of experience working in Silicon Valley.
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His appointment to the coveted position was announced on by CIA Director William J Burns in a blog post shared by the agency on Twitter.
Mulchandani’s appointment was a very important part of his effort to prioritize focusing on technology, Burns wrote. He will report directly to Burns to “ensure the Agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to further CIA’s mission.”
“I am honoured to join the CIA in this role and look forward to working with the Agency’s incredible team of technologists and domain experts who already deliver world-class intelligence and capabilities to help build a comprehensive technology strategy that delivers exciting capabilities working closely with industry and partners,” said Mulchandani.
“CIA Director William J. Burns appoints Nand Mulchandani as CIA’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO). With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Mulchandani will ensure the Agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to further CIA’s mission,” the CIA said in a tweet Friday.
“With more than 25 years experience working in Silicon Valley as well as the Department of Defense (DoD), Mr. Mulchandani brings substantial private sector, startup, and government expertise to CIA,” it said.
“Since my confirmation, I have prioritized focusing on technology and the new CTO position is a very important part of that effort. I am delighted Nand has joined our team and will bring his extensive experience to this crucial new role,” said Burns.
Prior to joining the CIA, Mulchandani most recently served as the CTO and Acting Director of DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.
Read: Who is Nand Mulchandani, the Indian-origin man named CIA’s first tech officer? (May 2, 2022)
He also co-founded and was CEO of several successful startups- Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMWare), OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix).
Mulchandani studied at Bluebells School International in New Delhi from 1979 to 1987 before going to Cornell University for a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics.
He then pursued a Master of Science degree in Management from Stanford as well as a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard University.