Proud moment! CIA names Indian-origin Nand Mulchandani CTO

In yet another big achievement by Indian-origin execs abroad, it has been revealed that the US Central Intelligence agency has appointed Nand Mulchandani as its first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

In its statement, the CIA said that Mulchandani brings ‘substantial private sector, startup, and government’ expertise to the agency. Mulchandani has over 25 years of experience working in Silicon Valley as well as the Department of Defence.

CIA, in a tweet said, "CIA Director William J. Burns appoints Nand Mulchandani as CIA's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO)."

The tweet also gave a glimpse of what his role will be in the agency in the same tweet saying, "With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Mulchandani will ensure the Agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to further CIA's mission."

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.”

It further added, "Scanning the horizon for tomorrow's innovations to further the CIA's mission" will also be his agenda.

The CIA said Mulchandani brings “substantial private sector, startup, and government" expertise to the agency.

In his reply, Mulchandani said, "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.”

Who is Nand Muchandani?

* Mulchandani most recently served as the CTO and Acting Director of DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.

* Mulchandani co-founded and was CEO of several successful startups– Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMWare), OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix).

Read CIA tweet below:

* Mulchandani has a degree in Computer Science and Math from Cornell, a Master of Science degree in Management from Stanford, and a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard.