Former U.S. Cyber Director Inglis Joins Advisory Firm Hakluyt

Chris Inglis, the former U.S. national cyber director who left the White House in February, has joined London-based corporate advisory firm Hakluyt & Co.

Inglis, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the National Security Agency, was the first person to serve as national cyber director. The role and the office, designed to coordinate cyber policy across the federal government, were created following a series of cyberattacks that drew intense public scrutiny and compromised federal agencies.

His role in the White House was relatively short-lived. After being confirmed by the Senate in June 2021, he left the job in February 2023, a month before the release of his former office’s flagship National Cybersecurity Strategy.

At Hakluyt, which advises boards and senior executives on areas such as geopolitical tensions, corporate actions including mergers and acquisitions, and other topics, Inglis will be a senior adviser. 

“I served on public boards between the time I was at the NSA and when I went back to the White House, and I was struck with at once how much tech dependence had grown rapidly over the last 10 to 15 years. And how little of that dependence was really understood,” he said.

Cybersecurity, in particular, has become a significant board issue in recent years. In late July, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved final rules that will require publicly traded companies to report cyberattacks no later than four business days after they determine they will have a material impact. Similar rules are being developed for critical infrastructure operators by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

“If you go back about five years, cyber felt very much like a technical issue. It wasn’t something that I think the C-suite and definitely the board were engaged with as a core business opportunity or risk,” said Varun Chandra, managing partner at Hakluyt. Chandra said the growth in cyberattacks, and regulation of cybersecurity, has made the issue one of the top ones they advise on, and often the primary concern for clients.

In addition to Hakluyt, Inglis has also rejoined Paladin Venture Capital, an investment company where he was employed before his most recent stint in the federal government, as a senior strategic adviser.

While Inglis’s remit at Hakluyt will include cybersecurity, it will also stretch into related areas, such as artificial intelligence, environmental, social, and governance practices, and other emerging technologies and principles, he said.

While some technologies have gained attention, such as generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Inglis said that the pace of change in technology is what boards need to pay attention to.

“The interesting thing about ChatGPT isn’t what it is at the moment, but the speed at which it’s come at us, and perhaps, what might come at us in the next few weeks, not years,” Inglis said.

Write to James Rundle at [email protected]