The White House’s former National Cyber Director (NCD) Kemba Walden has been tapped to lead Paladin Capital Group’s new Global Institute, the investment firm announced today.
Paladin Capital Group – a multi-stage investor specializing in cyber, AI, and advanced technology – launched the Paladin Global Institute with Kemba Walden joining as president on Jan. 8.
Walden served as the White House’s NCD in an acting capacity from February 2023, when inaugural NCD Chris Inglis stepped down, until her resignation in November. Harry Coker was sworn in to serve as the permanent NCD last month.
“In my time at the National Cyber Director’s Office, I saw firsthand how cooperation between the private and public sectors is critical to secure critical technology from increasingly complex cyber threats,” Walden said in a statement published today. “Paladin is taking a truly innovative approach by establishing this Institute to put forth actionable solutions to make cyberspace and the people who use it safer.”
The Paladin Global Institute’s mission is to protect global critical infrastructure from cyber threats and enhance the safety of people online by investing in research and advocacy, making informed policy recommendations, and bringing together the public and private sectors to share knowledge and create and invest in innovative technologies, the organization said.
“We are lucky to have Kemba at the helm of this new enterprise,” said Inglis, former NCD and senior strategic advisor to Paladin Capital Group. “Over the span of her career, particularly through the instrumental role she played in developing the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the National Cybersecurity Workforce and Educational Strategy while with the Office of the National Cyber Director, Kemba established herself as a strategic and focused leader and a coalition builder – skills that will be put to good use at the Paladin Global Institute.”
The new institute said that Walden will work to lead a global effort to protect the world’s critical infrastructure from cyber threats by fostering innovation, conducting research, and providing recommendations, among other tasks.
“For more than two decades, Paladin Capital Group has identified and invested in innovative technological solutions that protect against cyber and AI threats,” said Michael Steed, founder and managing partner of Paladin Capital Group.
“Now, the accelerated development of life-changing technologies such as generative AI and the evolving threat landscape demand a global, collaborative, and innovative approach to protecting public and private sector entities alike from cyber, AI, and other advanced technology risks,” Steed said.
The Paladin Global Institute sits under Paladin’s Strategic Advisory Group, which consists of notable cyber experts who advise the firm’s investment team on the cyber landscape, including former NCD Inglis, former Congressman James Langevin, and Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery.
