Indian-origin Man Becomes CIA's First-ever Chief Technology Officer: Who Is Nand Mulchandani?

Nand Mulchandani, an Indian-origin man has become CIA's first-ever chief technology officer (CTO).

Updated on: 2 May 2022 4:00 am

Nand Mulchandani

Nand Mulchandani, an Indian-origin man?who went to the United States for his college and higher studies, has been appointed by?The?US?Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as their first ever Central Technology Officer (CTO).?

CIA director William J Burns?made an announcement through a?blog post, shared by the agency on Twitter. "With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Mulchandani will ensure the Agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to further CIA's mission," the CIA said in a tweet.

#CIA Director William J. Burns appoints Nand Mulchandani as CIA's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Mulchandani will ensure the Agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to further CIA's mission.
— CIA (@CIA) April 29, 2022

CIA director William J 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” according to media reports.

Nand Mulchandani?has over 25 years of expertise working in Silicon Valley according to the CIA. He will report?directly to?William J Burns, as per reports based on the CIA statement.?

What we know about?CIA’s first-ever CTO Nand Mulchandani:

Nand Mulchandani studied at?Bluebells School International, which is based in Delhi and for his undergraduate, he went to Cornell University and?studied?Computer Science and Math. For his Master, he went to Stanford?to secure a?Science degree in Management. He also has a?Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard.?

Nand Mulchandani most recently served as the CTO and acting director of the US Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center before?joining the?Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He was also a CEO of many startup companies like?Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMWare), OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix).?

The CIA's newly-appointed CTO, after CIA director Burns's?announcement for the coveted position, said,? “I am honoured 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”?according to media reports.