Nand Mulchandani is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded and been CEO of multiple successful startups – Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMware), OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix).
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.
Why is he trending across the media?
The first line of defense for the United States, last week announced the appointment of
Mr. Nand Mulchandani has been trending as he has been appointed as first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Central Investigation Agency (CIA). Mr. William J Burns, the director of the CIA, has said that Mulchandani brings “substantial private sector, startup, and government” expertise to the agency and has over 25 years of experience working in Silicon Valley and recently the Department of Defence.
Mulchandani will ensure the agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to the missions of the CIA, Burns said. “Scanning the horizon for tomorrow’s innovations to further the CIA’s mission” will also be his agenda as the CTO, he further added.
“Since my confirmation, I have prioritised 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,” said Director Burns.
Before joining the intelligence agency, Mulchandani served as the CTO and acting director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Centre under the US Department of Defence.
In his LinkedIn post announcing the appointment, Mulchandani said the job offer was one he “could not refuse.”
“I couldn’t be a luckier person to get this job and am excited to continue my journey in public service with the CIA,” he wrote.
“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 Mulchandani.
