- Cover Story: The Quiet Storm – Why Cybersecurity’s Future Hinges on Speed, Stealth, and Shared Intelligence
- Expert Corner: Insights from Industry Leaders on Insights from Industry Leaders on Cybersecurity, Cloud, and AI Resilience
- Executive Movements: Transitions and Pivots
- Career Development Advice: Executive Reflexes for the New Cyber Age – 5 Moves the C-Suite Can’t Delay
View From The Top
Rajesh Khanna,
President,
Vantedge Search
Let’s not sugarcoat it—cybersecurity has entered its most dangerous phase yet. The attacks aren’t loud; they’re silent. They don’t crash through firewalls; they slip through side doors. As you’ll read in this issue, the quietest breaches are often the most devastating—ransomware cloaked as images, surveillance buried in everyday scripts, trust exploited at scale. And the stakes? Operational paralysis, reputational fallout, and real-world danger. This isn’t just a technical crisis—it’s a leadership one.
What stands out from the voices featured here is a shared understanding: survival now depends on shared intelligence, adaptive defenses, and leadership that doesn’t delegate risk—it owns it. That means getting closer to the threats, faster with response, and more deliberate in shaping a security-first culture. We’re not just observers in this new cyber era—we’re participants. And it’s on all of us to act accordingly.
The Quiet Storm: Why Cybersecurity’s Future Hinges on Speed, Stealth, and Shared Intelligence
Welcome to a new era of cyberwarfare, one defined not by brute force, but by quiet infiltration, patient surveillance, and the steady erosion of trust.
Just weeks ago, McDonald’s suffered a breach affecting 64 million job applicants, traced back to an AI-powered recruitment vendor with a weak password. Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer projects over US$400 million in losses following cyberattacks that shut down its online store for six weeks. These incidents underscore a hard truth: today’s threat actors don’t need to break down your digital doors; they slip in through side entrances, abusing trusted vendors, insider access, and enterprise tools.
The surge in breaches, particularly over the past two months, signals that stealth, patience, and precision have become the hallmarks of modern cyberattacks. From hijacking platforms like GitHub to embedding surveillance into everyday software, adversaries are growing bolder and more calculated.
The result: a mounting cybersecurity crisis that demands immediate, coordinated action—not only from IT teams, but from boardrooms, regulators, and industry alliances. Because in this new space, silence isn’t safety. It’s exposure.
Ransomware Reimagined
Heading into the summer, ransomware activity was already on the rise—May 2025 alone saw a 15.95% surge, with 545 reported attacks globally. That early uptick quietly set the tone for a season of escalating threats. But beyond the numbers, the tactics point to something deeper: a fundamental evolution in how these campaigns operate.
Groups like SafePay and SilentRansomGroup are moving away from smash-and-grab models. Instead, they’re embedding themselves within systems using image-based payloads, advanced loaders like SmokeLoader, and surveillance tools such as Kickidler. These are not just hit-and-run breaches, but prolonged infiltrations that study behavior, map access patterns, and wait to strike where it hurts most.
The pattern has only intensified. X conversations note a rise in AI-driven ransomware, with self-mutating malware evading traditional defenses. This evolution demands faster, AI-powered detection and response. The ransomware landscape now favors stealth, persistence, and multi-stage payloads over brute-force tactics, suggesting that the threat is both escalating and evolving in real-time.
Cyber Espionage Hits Prime Time
The line between criminal and geopolitical activity continues to blur. For instance, TaxOff’s exploitation of a Chrome zero-day (CVE-2025-2783) via a single phishing email to install the Trinper backdoor exemplifies how modular, evasive cyber-espionage campaigns have gone mainstream. In Operation ForumTroll, yet another example, even seasoned, high-value targets were compromised by simple social engineering paired with powerful post-exploitation frameworks. X posts warn of growing social engineering risks, with 23% of surveyed professionals citing phishing as a top threat.
These attacks suggest that espionage is no longer a state-exclusive domain; it’s a tactic, now widely available, that threatens both public and private sector assets alike.
Critical Infrastructure Under Siege
In June 2025, CISA and the FBI warned of LummaC2, a stealth malware targeting critical infrastructure with silent infiltration and data exfiltration capabilities. A critical vulnerability in railway communication systems (CVE-2025-25257) could allow attackers to control train brakes remotely, underscoring the national security implications. X discussions emphasize that these threats are more than IT issues; they are societal risks requiring urgent action.
The Trust Problem: GitHub, Scripts, and RATs
June 2025 saw trusted platforms like GitHub used to deliver malicious scripts, deploying tools like Remcos and NetSupport RAT. A supply-chain attack on WordPress plugin Gravity Forms compromised sites globally. X posts highlight how these attacks exploit trust, using obfuscated code to bypass defenses, making every digital relationship, from APIs to user behavior, a potential risk.
Boardroom Urgency: From Awareness to Action
Across sectors, CISOs, CTOs, and CEOs are calling for structural changes in how we manage and share threat intelligence. There is a growing push for real-time, cross-sector collaboration, especially considering insider-facilitated breaches such as the Coinbase incident.
Meanwhile, security leaders are championing AI-powered detection systems that use behavioral analytics and anomaly scoring to stay ahead of machine-speed threats.
On the financial front, CFOs are feeling the hit directly. With the global cost of cybercrime projected to reach $10 trillion in 2025, ransomware has metamorphosed from an IT line item to a business continuity threat. Executive churn, reputational damage, and operational paralysis are forcing finance leaders to demand faster patching, stronger endpoint controls, and proactive risk modeling.
The New Mandate: Collaborate or Collapse
The age of perimeter security is over. In a threat environment defined by modular malware, insider threats, and nation-state tactics, no single organization—no matter how well-funded—can go it alone.
The future of cybersecurity demands:
- Shared intelligence in real-time.
- Machine learning that adapts faster than the threat.
- Executive ownership of cyber risk as a business-critical function.
The quiet storm is here, and the only defense is collective, agile, and relentless.
For more information on Vantedge Search, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.
Expert's Corner –
What's Trending?
Insights from Industry Leaders on Cybersecurity, Cloud, and AI Resilience
According to leading voices featured in Cyber Magazine, cybersecurity demands alignment across business, technology, and culture. From securing AI-driven products and combating identity-based intrusions to reimagining cloud transformation, experts agree: the future of defense lies in proactive collaboration, not reactive controls.
Karen Holmes, Head of Business Security, Brightcove
Karen Holmes underscores the importance of aligning cybersecurity with enablement rather than restriction. At a company delivering video content across more than 60 countries, the goal is to build scalable security frameworks that protect content and data without disrupting streaming performance. Holmes emphasizes that effective security means finding paths to “yes”—working collaboratively with teams to embed protection into new products, such as Brightcove’s AI-driven offerings.
Her approach is grounded in trust and proactive risk anticipation. Rather than policing other departments, she focuses on problem-solving and partnership. During AI integration efforts, her team collaborated early with legal and product leaders to define guardrails while enabling innovation. Holmes stresses the need for constant vigilance in a rapidly evolving landscape, monitoring threat intelligence closely to stay ahead of emerging risks, especially those not yet visible.
Source: Karen Holmes | Cyber Magazine
Adam Meyers, SVP of Counter Adversary Operations, CrowdStrike
Adam Meyers emphasizes a shift in cyber defense strategy, away from malware-centric thinking toward an adversary-focused approach. As attack patterns evolve, threat actors increasingly rely on identity-based intrusions and legitimate tools to evade detection. According to Meyers, organizations must adapt by integrating intelligence-driven threat hunting with continuous monitoring across identity, endpoint, and cloud environments. CrowdStrike’s teams use real-time telemetry and human-led investigations to identify threats early and respond before significant damage occurs.
Meyers also highlights the growing challenge of detecting interactive, human-operated attacks that blend into normal system activity. With a notable rise in cloud-based intrusions and misuse of remote access tools, defenders face a shrinking window to act. He stresses that traditional reactive measures are no longer enough; effective defense means getting as close to the point of intrusion as possible. Looking ahead, Meyers cautions that both attackers and defenders are harnessing AI and machine learning, underscoring the need for ongoing investment in adaptive, intelligence-led cybersecurity strategies.
Source: Adam Meyers | Cyber Magazine
Sriram Kumaresan, SVP and Global Head – Cloud Infrastructure & Security Markets, Cognizant
Sriram Kumaresan emphasizes that successful cloud transformation requires more than technical execution; it demands cultural change, strategic clarity, and strong leadership. He advocates for transparency and empathy as foundational traits when guiding global teams through disruption. His approach to modernization is dual-pronged: embed cloud into the fabric of business operations and scale it to meet enterprise-wide demands, ensuring that innovation and efficiency move in tandem.
On the technology front, Kumaresan sees hybrid cloud as the future, providing agility, compliance, and control in a single framework. He stresses the importance of treating security as an innovation enabler, not a constraint, especially in complex, multi-cloud environments. AI also plays a pivotal role in his vision, both as a tool for infrastructure optimization and as a capability that demands dedicated infrastructure investment. His outlook is forward-facing, anchored in resilience, automation, and sustainability as pillars of long-term cloud success
Executive Movements:
Leadership Transitions & Strategic Pivots
CEO Movements
Regis Corporation announced a leadership transition with CEO Matthew Doctor stepping down effective June 30, 2025. Jim Lain, EVP of Brand Operations, will serve as interim CEO during the search for a permanent successor.
Barry’s announced a leadership transition as Co-CEO Joey Gonzalez becomes Executive Chairman and JJ Gantt takes over as CEO amid plans for major global expansion. The boutique fitness brand, known for its cult-like following, aims to more than double its footprint in the next four years while staying rooted in its signature community-driven Red Room experience.
BMW Group Financial Services North America has appointed Ole Jensen as president and CEO, succeeding Birgit Boehm, effective August 1, 2025. A 20-year BMW veteran, Jensen brings global and regional experience to lead financial operations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Boehm transitions to lead BMW Brilliance Automotive in China.
Yum! Brands has named Chris Turner as its next CEO, effective October 1, 2025, succeeding David Gibbs who will transition to an advisory role through 2026. Turner, currently CFO and Chief Franchise Officer, brings deep strategic and operational experience, positioning Yum! for continued digital innovation and global growth.
Colin Walsh will step down as CEO of Procter & Gamble’s specialty beauty division on August 1, 2025, with SVP John Brownlee assuming his duties. Walsh, who helped shape the division since 2023, exits amid P&G’s broader restructuring plan involving 7,000 job cuts and potential divestitures in select markets.
The PGA Tour has tapped longtime NFL executive Brian Rolapp as CEO of its commercial arm, PGA Tour Enterprises, amid ongoing restructuring and a $1.5 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group. Rolapp’s media expertise is seen as pivotal as the Tour navigates new broadcast deals and stalled LIV Golf negotiations.
The U.S. Faster Payments Council has appointed Phillipa Wilson of Mastercard as Chairperson and Peter Tapling of PTap Advisory as Vice Chairperson of its Board of Directors. Wilson brings deep expertise in payment innovation and strategic partnerships, while Tapling will also chair the FPC Operations Committee, drawing on decades of experience in payments, fraud, and identity.
Ben Trodd has been appointed CEO of Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd., operator of Four Seasons Yachts, effective July 1, 2025. A 25-year Four Seasons veteran, Trodd will lead the luxury brand’s ambitious 2026 yacht debut, overseeing operations, sales, and design collaboration from his new base in Miami.
Ohmium International has named Dr. Markus Tacke as CEO effective July 1, 2025, marking a new era of global expansion for the green hydrogen tech firm. A Siemens veteran and former Oerlikon CEO, Tacke brings a proven track record in scaling energy businesses and operational transformation to lead Ohmium’s next growth phase.
Hindustan Unilever Limited has appointed Priya Nair as its new MD and CEO, effective August 1, 2025—making her the first woman to lead the company in its 92-year history. A 30-year HUL veteran and global brand strategist, Nair succeeds Rohit Jawa, bringing deep expertise in beauty, wellbeing, and consumer-centric innovation.
Comexposium has appointed Pablo Nakhlé Cerruti as CEO, effective August 25, 2025, succeeding Renaud Hamaide. A seasoned leader in events, real estate, and media, Nakhlé Cerruti brings extensive experience from roles at Viparis, Mediawan, and France’s Ministry of Economy to steer Comexposium’s global event portfolio into its next chapter.
Allianz Commercial has confirmed Graham Stait as Director UK Markets and Luke Baker as Director UK Global, solidifying their leadership team amid strategic growth in the mid-market and large corporate segments.
Cirion Technologies has appointed Santiago Londoño and Nelson Fonseca as CEOs of its Connectivity and Data Center divisions, respectively, marking a strategic leadership shift as the company splits its operations. Former CEO Facundo Castro will join the board, supporting Cirion’s continued growth across Latin America’s digital infrastructure landscape.
WPP has appointed Cindy Rose as its next CEO, effective September 1, 2025, succeeding Mark Read. A former Microsoft and Disney executive, Rose brings decades of global leadership in tech and media. As a long-time WPP board member, she now returns to her creative roots to lead the company through its next phase of digital and AI-driven transformation.
Roquette has appointed Thierry Fournier as CEO, effective July 18, 2025, succeeding Pierre Courduroux who is retiring after a transformative five-year tenure. A Saint-Gobain veteran, Fournier brings global leadership experience and a commitment to innovation as Roquette enters a new phase of growth in health, nutrition, and bio-industrial markets.
The Hershey Company has appointed Kirk Tanner as President and CEO, effective August 18, 2025, succeeding Michele Buck upon her retirement. A former PepsiCo and Wendy’s executive, Tanner brings decades of experience in snacks and beverages, as Hershey sharpens its focus on growth and innovation in the evolving snacking market.
The Wendy’s Company announced the departure of CEO Kirk Tanner on July 18, 2025, to take the helm at The Hershey Company. CFO Ken Cook now serves as interim CEO while retaining his current role, as the board begins its search for a permanent successor.
Former H&M CEO Helena Helmersson has joined Mango’s board as an independent director.
The appointment strengthens Mango’s corporate governance and global leadership vision.
It’s a key move under the brand’s long-term 4E Strategic Plan.
Kenvue has named board member Kirk Perry as interim CEO following Thibaut Mongon’s departure. The move comes as the company launches a strategic review to streamline operations and boost growth. An executive search is underway to find a permanent chief executive.
CFO Movements
- Google Cloud has appointed former Oracle CFO Kobi Bar-Nathan as its new finance chief, signaling a strategic move to strengthen its cloud and AI-focused growth.
- Wiley has appointed Craig Albright as Executive Vice President and CFO, effective June 26, 2025, bringing over 30 years of global financial leadership to drive growth, efficiency, and strategic innovation.
- Pure Storage has appointed former RingCentral CEO and HPE finance chief Tarek Robbiati as its new CFO, bringing decades of tech leadership to drive transformation and strategic growth.
- Black Rifle Coffee Company has named Matthew Amigh as CFO, effective July 7, 2025, to support its strategy for returning to annual revenue growth.
- Corpay has appointed Peter Walker as Chief Financial Officer effective July 21, 2025, bringing extensive leadership experience from Instructure, Sterling Check, and Assurant.
- Kyverna Therapeutics has appointed Dr. Marc Grasso as Chief Financial Officer, bringing over 25 years of financial and biotech leadership to support the company’s next phase of growth.
- AkzoNobel has named Fredrik Westin as its next Chief Financial Officer, effective January 1, 2026, succeeding Maarten de Vries as part of a planned succession.
- Medtronic has named Chad Spooner as CFO of MiniMed ahead of its planned spin-off into a standalone public company.
- Al Masraf has appointed Hitesh Thakkar as Chief Financial Officer to support its 2025–2028 strategy and lead the bank’s financial transformation and growth initiatives.
CIO/CTO Movements
- BrandSafway appoints JP Saini as CDIO to lead digital transformation after his successful tenure at Sunbelt Rentals.
- McDonald’s names Valerie Ashbaugh as CIO, bringing prior leadership experience from Nike and Boeing.
- Bloomin’ Brands names Rafael Sanchez as CIO, with past roles at Six Flags, Carnival, and Burger King.
- Westgate Resorts promotes Angel Miranda to CIO after over a decade of tech leadership at the company.
Insights: Inferring the why
The recent leadership movements across sectors, from consumer goods and automotive to tech and hospitality, point to deeper strategic, structural, and market-level shifts. Here’s what these appointments and exits reveal about the evolving demands on the top leadership:
- Growth ambitions are demanding sharper execution capabilities
Many CEO changes coincide with aggressive expansion targets, doubling physical footprints, entering new global markets, or navigating post-investment scale-ups. Boards appear to be seeking leaders with a track record of operational rigor, global execution, and category growth, especially where companies are moving from regional to international stages or launching new business verticals.
- Structural transformation is being matched by leadership recalibration
Multiple transitions are part of larger restructuring efforts: streamlining divisions, reviewing portfolios, or spinning out business units. These moves suggest that companies are reshaping their operating models and need leadership that reflects these changes in size, complexity, or focus. Interim roles and dual-CEO models reflect this period of active realignment.
- Internal succession and board-to-executive shifts show long-term bench planning
A number of appointments were made from within, whether through elevation of divisional heads, CFOs, or board members. This indicates a preference for continuity during transitions, and signals deliberate succession planning. It also reflects trust in leaders who already understand company dynamics and can hit the ground running amid change.
- Sector-specific expertise is being valued over generalist leadership
New CEOs often bring highly relevant experience from adjacent or deeply specialized industries, media leaders heading sports organizations, or tech veterans leading creative firms. This suggests a shift toward role-specific leadership, where domain fluency and situational experience are considered critical assets for execution in evolving markets.
- Governance and stakeholder alignment are no longer optional
Several leadership updates involve independent board additions and high-profile successors with experience in regulated or investor-facing roles. This shows a heightened emphasis on governance, accountability, and trust, especially in public or high-growth firms undergoing transformation. Aligning executive leadership with global governance norms is increasingly seen as a foundational step, not an afterthought.
These changes indicate how companies are repositioning for what’s next: whether that’s scaling globally, rethinking business models, or preparing for investor scrutiny. In each case, leadership is being used as a strategic lever to reset direction, reinforce capabilities, and build resilience for the long game.
Executive Reflexes for the New Cyber Age: 5 Moves the C-Suite Can't Delay
The past few months have delivered a sobering lesson: the cyber battlefield has gone quiet—and that makes it more dangerous than ever. Ransomware was embedded in JPEGs. Remote tools looked like maintenance scripts. Nation-state actors impersonated IT hires. And at every turn, defenders fell behind because executive reflexes weren’t calibrated for low-signal, high-impact threats.
This calls for upgrading your leadership model. Based on this quarter’s threat landscape and expert conversations, here are five C-suite behaviors that must evolve now:
- Think Like a Threat Analyst, Not Just a Business Strategist
Today, attackers aren’t targeting systems at random; they’re profiling industries, roles, and workflows. Executives who thrive are the ones who understand adversary behavior as deeply as they understand customer behavior. That means learning how threat actors think, gaining literacy in kill chains, and turning security reports into strategic insights, not just inbox noise. - Build Muscle Memory Through Realistic Crisis Rehearsals
Crisis leadership is no longer theoretical. Executives must train for breaches the same way elite teams train for market crashes or product recalls: through simulations. Running live, role-specific crisis drills with legal, comms, finance, and operations teams builds reflexes that no memo can replace, and turns passive oversight into practiced readiness. - Lead AI-Driven Initiatives with Infrastructure Literacy
As AI becomes central to every business unit, executives must evolve from asking “What can AI do for us?” to “What does AI demand from us—technically, operationally, and securely?” Career-ready leaders are those who can navigate conversations about model architecture, deployment risk, and AI governance, not just use cases and ROI. - Speak Cyber as Fluently as You Speak Finance or Strategy
Security is now a board-level topic. Executives who rise are those who can translate technical risk into language investors, regulators, and peers understand. Developing fluency in threat trends, compliance frameworks, and resilience metrics is core to executive credibility in high-stakes settings. - Champion Security Culture as a Leadership Discipline
The best security postures aren’t enforced, they’re embedded. Executives must model behaviors that prioritize risk awareness across the organization. That means empowering teams to escalate concerns, rewarding secure-by-design thinking, and aligning incentives with resilience. Leadership here is not top-down; it’s trust-forward.
Bottom line: The next generation of cyber-ready leaders won’t succeed by delegation alone. They’ll succeed because they chose to upskill, to embed, and to lead from the front—where risk meets reality.