Chertoff Group Recruits Former Accenture & PwC Technology Consulting Leader

Dr. Alastair MacWillson Joins The Chertoff Group

WASHINGTON--()--The Chertoff Group, a premiere global advisory firm exclusively focused on security and risk management, is pleased to announce Dr. Alastair MacWillson, former Global Managing Director for Technology Consulting at Accenture, has joined the firm as Principal.

At The Chertoff Group, Dr. MacWillson will advise a global client base on how to strategically protect their most critical assets while achieving desired business objectives through effective risk management designed to proactively identify threats, reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen resiliency. He will also apply his broad experience to advise emerging and established technology companies on business direction, solution development, go-to-market strategies, and brand recognition.

“Alastair is a recognized industry leader and seasoned cyber expert with over 23 years of experience addressing critical issues related to technology strategy, security and risk,” said Michael Chertoff, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of The Chertoff Group. “Alastair’s success in leading technology transformation for major organizations and government organizations will help our clients develop effective risk management practices in a complex security environment.”

Dr. MacWillson joins the London office of The Chertoff Group, which works closely with U.S. colleagues to provide a seamless global service to international clients. He will join other Principals including Lord John Reid, who has a held numerous ministerial posts including UK Secretary of State for Defence and Home Secretary; Sir David Veness, previously global head of security for the United Nations and, prior to that, head of counter-terrorism for the London Metropolitan Police; and Graham Love, previously Group Chief Executive of the defence and security technology firm QinetiQ.

“I am delighted Alastair has joined The Chertoff Group,” said Lord John Reid, “His vast experience and insight will be immensely valuable. Few people have such depth and understanding of technology and cyber security than Alastair.”

Dr. MacWillson spent eleven years as the Global Managing Director of the Security Practice within Accenture’s global technology service line, an organization comprised of over 3,500 security and risk professionals. In this role, he worked with business and government leaders around the world on critical issues related to technology strategy, risk, operational performance and management, cyber security, and critical infrastructure protection. Prior to joining Accenture in 2002, Dr. MacWillson was the Global Managing Partner of the Technology & Risk Consulting practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In this position, he also held responsibility for the PwC technology venture fund, which had $50 million invested in new business activities. During this period he was the founder and interim global CEO for beTRUSTed, a managed service e-security business of PwC which, after divestment, subsequently became CyberTrust.

At the beginning of his career, Dr. MacWillson worked in government service, holding senior advisory positions on security and risk related strategy. During that time, he carried out foreign service with a number of overseas postings in the Middle East, Europe and United States.

“I am thrilled to be joining The Chertoff Group, where I can continue my career in security and risk management while utilizing my past experiences and knowledge to help the firm’s clients meet their objectives and mitigate risk. I look forward to joining the team in London and collaborating across the firm to build effective security strategies for our clients,” said Alastair MacWillson.

Dr. MacWillson spent over twenty-three years leading technology transformation and security strategy projects for major organizations and governments, such as the World Bank, SWIFT, DTC, CBT, LSE, Carrefour, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Cargill, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, NASA, QinetiQ, BP, Shell, BG Group, Barclays, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Ericsson, BT, Telstra and Vodafone, as well as the intelligence, security and defense departments of the United Kingdom, United States, European, Australian and Indian Governments.

Dr. MacWillson is a leader and recognized expert in the fields of information technology, cyber, risk, and terrorism. He is a frequent speaker and commentator on technology and security issues and his insights have been featured by media outlets including BBC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times. Dr. MacWillson has published many articles and papers on technology and risk and has authored journals on cyber and information security, risk, cryptography and cyber terrorism, as well as a widely selling textbook on Hostage Taking Terrorism (McMillan 1992).

Dr. MacWillson has a Bachelor of Science in Physics, Postgraduate Diplomas in Computer Science and Digital Imaging, a Doctorate degree in Theoretical Physics and a Management Diploma from the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.

About The Chertoff Group

The Chertoff Group is a global security advisory firm that provides consulting, risk management and merger and acquisition (M&A) advisory services for clients in the security, defense and government services industries. With decades of trusted leadership experience across both government and financial services, The Chertoff Group advises clients on how to manage their risk, protect against a broad array of threats and crises, and grow their businesses within a complex national security market. The Chertoff Group and its investment banking subsidiary Chertoff Capital have advised on multiple M & A transactions totaling more than $6 billion in deal value. Headquartered in Washington D.C., the firm maintains offices in London, New York and San Francisco. For more information about The Chertoff Group, visit www.chertoffgroup.com.

Contacts

The Chertoff Group
Katy Montgomery, 202-552-5280

Contacts

The Chertoff Group
Katy Montgomery, 202-552-5280