Amazon Adds Cybersecurity Veteran Kevin Mandia to Board

Amazon has appointed Kevin Mandia, the founder of cybersecurity firm Mandiant, to its board of directors, adding incident response and threat intelligence experience to the company’s board-level oversight.

The company said Mandia was elected on September 8. His appointment comes as large technology providers face growing security demands associated with cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Mandia has spent more than three decades in cybersecurity roles spanning government service, enterprise incident response, and investment. He currently leads Armadin, a cybersecurity company, and is a co-founder and general partner at Ballistic Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on security startups.

He is widely known for establishing Mandiant, which became a prominent provider of digital forensics, breach response, and threat intelligence services. FireEye acquired Mandiant in 2013. Following the later sale of FireEye’s products business, the company resumed operating under the Mandiant name in 2021. Google acquired Mandiant in 2022 and incorporated it into Google Cloud.

Government and advisory experience

Before founding Mandiant, Mandia worked as a computer security officer at the Pentagon and served as a special agent with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He has also participated in U.S. government cybersecurity advisory efforts, including the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee.

Amazon said Mandia’s background in helping organizations respond to major cyber incidents, along with his work with emerging security companies, would bring relevant expertise to its board.

• Mandia was elected to Amazon’s board on September 8.
• His career includes government, incident response, threat intelligence, and venture investment roles.
• Amazon cited evolving cyber risks and AI developments as areas where his perspective may be valuable.

The appointment reflects the increasing emphasis major technology companies are placing on cybersecurity governance at the board level.