Nettitude's New CEO - What does this mean for our clients?

By Nettitude Communications Team

As most of our clients will now be aware following the recent press release, we are pleased to announce that Karen Bolton has been appointed as the new CEO of Nettitude. As with any changes that an organisation faces, you may have questions about the new appointment and how it will affect the future of the business, as well as the impact on our clients. First and foremost, we would like to stress that whilst we may introduce some small structural changes as part of our international growth plans, Karen’s mission for the future of Nettitude remains entirely consistent with our founder Rowland’s original vision when he formed the company in 2003.

In the following blog post, we’ll provide a bit more information about Rowland Johnson’s new focus within the business and the role Karen will play in the future growth of the organisation.

Why has Nettitude appointed a new CEO?

After 17 years of dedication and hard work, Rowland Johnson has made the decision to re address his work life balance and take on a strategic advisory role within Nettitude and the Lloyd’s Register Group, whilst stepping back from active duty as Chief Executive Officer. Whilst Rowland will continue to fulfil a strategic advisory role, the baton has been passed on to Karen Bolton to lead the way.

A look at what Rowland has contributed to Nettitude over the past two decades

Throughout the 17 years as Founder and CEO of Nettitude, Rowland has led the organisation from a small UK based team, to a global organisation who now lead the way in threat-led cybersecurity. Under Rowland’s leadership, Nettitude has undergone significant expansion into overseas regions, including the opening of our Singapore office, NY office and European bases. Nettitude has won multiple industry awards for it high class services, and it has been recognised by CREST and the Bank of England for its threat led red teaming capability. In addition, he has overseen the introduction of new service offerings that focus on Industrial Control Systems and Operational technology, whilst also maintaining a year on year growth of 25%. Moreover, Rowland has recently led Nettitude through a significant period of growth as we were successfully acquired by the Lloyd’s Register Group. Since 2018, Rowland has overseen the delivery of all key elements of Nettitude’s two-year post acquisition financial plan and has left the organisation in excellent standing to be taken into the next period of growth with Karen’s guidance.

For those clients who have personally worked with Rowland, we trust that you will have had the same privilege as the Nettitude team in witnessing Rowland’s passion and drive to disrupt the cybersecurity industry with the latest threat-led cybersecurity technology and renowned services. Whilst he will still maintain an advisory role in the company, we are humbled by the success he has created and the firm foundations that have been set to grow the organisation even more as we move forwards.

Rowland has provided a few words below:

“It has been a privilege to be the CEO of Nettitude. Over the past 17 years, I have had the honour of working with some of the greatest talent in the cybersecurity industry but now it’s time for someone else to take on the mantle. I’ll still be supporting the business, providing strategic guidance to Nettitude’s leadership team as it continues to develop new research-led, cybersecurity services for an ever-growing customer base.”

Who is the new CEO?

Many of our clients, and particularly those in the US, will already be familiar with Nettitude’s new CEO, Karen Bolton. As EVP of the Americas and Chief Marketing Officer, Karen has already played a fundamental role in the development of Nettitude. Having been appointed by Rowland as the US office was opened in 2011, Karen has helped to shape the services we offer both within the US and globally, as well as leading the team in the best direction for further growth within the North American market. In addition, as CMO, Karen has helped to shape the way the Nettitude brand has been portrayed to the outside world and has overseen some significant marketing projects, from a total rebrand, to enhanced digital lead generation throughout our key geographies, and the onboarding of a strategic in-house marketing team; Karen’s directive has further ensured significant global growth.

Prior to Joining Nettitude in 2017, Karen held global leadership positions at Marsh Clearsight, a cloud-based software platform, serving the needs of risk management professionals. Throughout her long-standing career, Karen has had global experience in leading organisations through a significant period of growth, whilst shaping their sales and marketing directives.

Karen will continue to be based at Nettitude’s North American offices, demonstrating the company’s commitment to growing its international business footprint. She will have responsibility for doubling Nettitude’s cyber revenues over the next 4 years, whilst retaining its high-quality research led service lines Moreover, her appointment as CEO has meant that Karen is now one of only a small group of female CEOs within the technology space, in which we are thrilled that Nettitude are leading the way in breaking down silos and helping to develop the careers of women in cybersecurity and technology. As an equal opportunities company, we look forward to seeing many more talented people from diverse backgrounds joining our ranks.

Karen has further provided a few words on her appointment as CEO :

“It is a source of pride and excitement to be given the opportunity to lead Nettitude’s continued growth. Cybersecurity risk impacts organisations globally and Nettitude is a world leading provider of threat-led cybersecurity services. My appointment also shows how cybersecurity can be a career choice for women in technology and I’m keen to support the continued advancement of women in cybersecurity roles.”

As a client, will I face any changes under the appointment of a new CEO?

As the new CEO, Karen has no plans to make any significant changes to the organisation as her mission for the company is aligned with that of our founder, Rowland. What will change is the level of services we offer you as we continue to grow, expand and develop!

What are Nettitude’s plans for the future?

As we now come to the end of our post acquisition, two-year financial plan, we are pleased to say that the anticipated synergies between Nettitude, and it’s parent company Lloyd’s Register, have been realized, not only in terms of the services we can jointly provide, but also in terms of the culture and values of our respective organizations. However, while we are now owned by Lloyd’s Register, we will continue to operate as Nettitude providing our clients with the high quality services that they have always expected of us.

I would like to reach out to Karen and Rowland. How can I do this?

We value our close working relationships with our clients and would love for you to reach out to Karen and Rowland with your best wishes. Both Karen and Rowland can be reached through their LinkedIn channels. If you have further questions on the appointment of our new CEO, please point them in the direction of our customer success team by emailing solutions@nettitude.com

Nettitude's Journey so far...

We hope you will join us in celebration as we enter another period of growth and development, both within our organisation and within the cybersecurity space, in which we look forward to continuing to work with new and existing clients to provide leading threat-led cybersecurity services across the globe.