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Barak Engel

Chief Geek at EAmmune
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Barak Engel is a well-known and respected longtime Silicon Valley insider, bringing his unique, people-centric approach to cyber security.

As a distinguished technology, operations, and business leader with over 30 years of expertise, Barak serves a pivotal role at Theia Institute. Renowned for pioneering the virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) concept, he stands as the first vCISO, with his enterprise, EAmmune, being recognized as the world's oldest vCISO services firm. Engel's profound impact on information security is further highlighted by his authorship of influential books such as "Why CISOs Fail" (his book was nominated and accepted into the Cybercannon in 2021.) and "The Security Hippie" (2022).

At Theia Institute, Barak leverages his extensive background, which includes a prior role as Head of Security for Webex fresh off it’s IPO and growing rapidly and globally long before its acquisition by Cisco.. He has been instrumental in establishing, leading, and bolstering security frameworks across a diverse array of organizations in various industries, including MuleSoft, Livenation/Ticketmaster, Amplitude Analytics, StubHub, Barnes and Noble, BetterUp, and bebe Stores. Beyond his direct operational contributions, Barak offers strategic governance and insightful expertise on technology, risk, product, and market trends as a board member and advisor to numerous entities. His multifaceted experience and visionary approach make him an invaluable asset to Theia Institute, where he continues to drive innovation and excellence in information security and technology governance.

Barak was CISO and Chief Privacy Officer for MuleSoft just prior to its $6.5 billion acquisition by Salesforce, and has seen StubHub as its CISO through the company’s $4B acquisition by ViaGoGo and its massive digital transformation project. He helped to launch Think Security First!, for America’s first cyber secure city (Walnut Creek, CA, population 64,000). Partners in the initiative include Microsoft, Cisco, McAfee, AT&T, and the Department of Homeland Security.

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