Paladin Capital Group appoints former NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin in managing director’s role

The mission of the NCSC is to help make the UK a safe place in which to live and work online, working with the public sector, SMEs and industry as well as the general public to achieve that aim. Martin was the head of cyber security at GCHQ from 2014 before starting up the NCSC.

Michael Steed, founder and managing partner at the Paladin Capital Group, stated: “Ciaran Martin is an exceptional talent in the cyber sphere and we’re profoundly pleased to have him join the Paladin team. His understanding of the ever-evolving threat landscape and knowledge of the technologies required to meet those challenges will help us to assess potential investments and support our portfolio companies in their growth.”

Steed added: “At Paladin, we focus on companies that have a ‘dual lens’. That is, they provide services to Government and commercial customers. Ciaran’s experience of working across the public and private sectors to develop cyber solutions will be invaluable for the companies we back.”

Paladin is a venture capital investor in early stage companies. It’s based in the EMEA, North America and Asia and develops products and services that defend, monitor and secure shared critical digital infrastructure.

European cyber security market

In his new role, Martin will be based at Paladin’s European headquarters in the UK. He will assist with the development of Paladin’s presence in the growing European cyber security early stage market and also be part of Paladin’s global Strategic Advisory Board, advising the company on threats, trends, risks and opportunities in cyber security for businesses and Governments.

This important role is in addition to Martin’s position as Professor of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford.

Commenting on the appointment, Ciaran Martin said: “I’m delighted to be working with the Paladin team. I learned in Government that whether it’s in the UK, Europe, the US or globally, the common cyber threats we face can only be solved if there’s a strong and innovative private sector taking care of huge swathes of the problem. That presents enormous economic opportunities for talented technologists and entrepreneurs. I’m very much looking forward to being part of a venture capital team helping them to succeed."

Previously, Martin was constitution director at the Cabinet Office from 2011, working on the Scottish Independence Referendum. From 2008 until 2011, he served as director of security and intelligence at the Cabinet Office.

Paladin has invested in nearly 50 cyber and advanced technology companies. Portfolio companies in Europe include CyberHedge, Dashbird, Digital Shadows, DPOrganizer, Elliptic, Panaseer, RangeForce, Secure Code Warrior and Teraki in countries including Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, the UK and Estonia.