Who is Nand Mulchandani, Indian-origin man named as CIA's first-ever chief technology officer?
With his schooling completed from Delhi and higher studies from Cornell, Stanford and Harvard, Nand Mulchandani became CIA's first-ever chief technology officer.
The Central Intelligence Agency has appointed Nand Mulchandani, an Indian-origin man who went to the United States for his college and higher studies, as their first ever Central Technology Officer (CTO). The announcement was made by CIA director William J Burns in a blog post, shared by the agency on Twitter.
Mulchandani will report directly to Burns, as per reports based on the CIA statement. “As the CTO, Mr. Mulchandani will ensure the Agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations and scanning the horizon for tomorrow’s innovations to further CIA’s mission,” it further read.
Who is Nand Mulchandani?
Mulchandani completed his schooling in Delhi. He studied at the Bluebells School International between 1979 and 1987 and then went to Cornell University for his undergraduate course in Computer Science and Math. He then went on to secure a Master of Science degree in Management from Stanford, and a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard.
Before joining the CIA, Mulchandani most recently served as the CTO and acting director of the US Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.
With more than 25 years of experience working in the Silicon Valley, he co-founded and was CEO of several successful startups, including Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMWare), OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix).
Announcing his appointment, CIA director Burns said: “Since my confirmation, I have prioritized focusing on technology and the new CTO position is a very important part of that effort. I am delighted Nand has joined our team and will bring his extensive experience to this crucial new role.”
“I am honored to join CIA in this role and look forward to working with the Agency’s incredible team of technologists and domain experts who already deliver world-class intelligence and capabilities to help build a comprehensive technology strategy that delivers exciting capabilities working closely with industry and partners,” said CIA's newly-appointed CTO, Mulchandani.
