Bristol cyber security firm Immersive has appointed a new chief executive. Mark Schmitz will take the helm of the organisation while founder James Hadley will remain on the board as chief innovation officer.
Mr Hadley, an ex-GCHQ trainer, will focus on driving “strategic vision and innovation” in partnership with Mr Schmitz, the company said.
Mr Schmitz, who joins the business on Monday (March 17), has more than 25 years’ experience in the enterprise software market, including as president at Collibra and Interim chief executive at Citrix Systems. He has also held senior leadership roles at SAP, Ariba, and Accenture.
“We’ve achieved incredible milestones at Immersive and I am thrilled to bring Mark onboard and partner with him to usher in our next phase of growth helping our customers prove and improve cyber readiness,” said Mr Hadley.
“As we look to the future, Mark’s experience and leadership will be an invaluable complement to mine as we expand our market reach, as well as our leadership position, in the industry.”
Mr Hadley said the transition would allow him to focus on his passion of fostering innovation and engaging with customers.
“I am excited to join Immersive and team up with James to realize the future of cyber drilling and exercising,” said Mr Schmitz.
“Immersive’s innovative approach to people-centric cybersecurity is critical for confronting today’s and tomorrow’s threats, and it’s a key aspect of my decision to join the company. I look forward to working with this amazingly talented team to accelerate growth and deliver exceptional value to our customers.”
Mr Schmitz’s appointment comes just two months after Immersive appointed former Barclays chief information security officer Oliver Newbury to its board.
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