Mulchandani brings ‘substantial private sector, start-up, and govt’ expertise to the agency and has over 25 years of experience working in Silicon Valley and recently the Department of Defence, CIA said

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the first line of defence for the United States, last week announced the appointment of Nand Mulchandani as its first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Announcing the appointment, CIA director William J Burns said Mulchandani brings “substantial private sector, start-up, and government" expertise to the agency and has over 25 years of experience working in Silicon Valley and recently the Department of Defence.

Mulchandani will ensure the agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to the missions of the CIA, Burns said. “Scanning the horizon for tomorrow's innovations to further the CIA's mission" will also be his agenda as the CTO, he further added.

“Since my confirmation, I have prioritised 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 Director Burns.

Before joining the intelligence agency, Mulchandani served as the CTO and acting director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Centre under the US Department of Defence.

Mulchandani is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded and been CEO of multiple successful startups – Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMware), OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix).

In his LinkedIn post announcing the appointment, Mulchandani said the job offer was one he “could not refuse."

“I couldn't be a luckier person to get this job and am excited to continue my journey in public service with the CIA," he wrote.

“I am honoured to join 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.

He loves small, fast-moving teams focused on disrupting big markets. He has a strong background in enterprise infrastructure products, marketing, and sales, Mulchandani's LinkedIn profile says.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mulchandani completed his schooling in 1987 from Bluebells School in South Delhi. He went on to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Cornell University in the US. Then moved to Stanford for Master of Science degree in Management, and later to Harvard for a Master in Public Administration degree.