Xiid Launches Elite Advisory Board, Enlists Rachel Higham to Help Drive Next Phase of Growth

Newly established brain trust includes top global executives who have led technology, security and transformation initiatives across telecommunications, consulting and enterprise IT

Xiid Corp., which is revolutionizing cyber defense with zero knowledge networking, today announced it has assembled a distinguished advisory board and added Rachel Higham to this circle of trusted advisors. Formerly Marks & Spencer’s chief digital and technology officer, Higham will serve as a special advisor and consultant, leading Xiid’s go-to-market strategy with hyperscalers, colocation companies and telecom services providers.

“Rachel contributes valuable perspective and experience,” said Xiid CEO Steve Visconti. “Now the new Xiid Advisory Board – which already includes global industry leaders with deep roots at such companies as Alcatel, Capgemini, Deloitte, Microsoft and Vodafone – is even stronger.”

Higham learned of Xiid’s unique approach during her time with Marks & Spencer. In addition to her experience with the multinational retailer, she served as WPP’s CIO, BT’s managing director of IT and MD Asia and Vodafone’s head of cloud and infrastructure centre of excellence.

“Xiid fortifies companies against threats such as ransomware in a way that no other solution can,” said Higham. “Having experienced Xiid’s unrivaled approach firsthand, I am thrilled by the opportunity to share it with other organizations. During recovery from a destructive cyberattack, it is often difficult to maintain a secure perimeter as you restore critical systems and integrations. Xiid's secure tunnelling technology makes that incredibly simple, increasing speed to recovery and reducing both risk and costs.”

The Xiid Advisory Board brings together an impressive group of top global executives with board-level experience across the telecom, finance, and defense sectors. These power players have led multi-billion-dollar technology, security, and transformation initiatives.

“Xiid is redefining how secure connectivity is designed – not as an add-on, but as a foundation of modern enterprise architecture,” said Xiid Advisory Board Member Albert Hitchcock. “I’m excited to contribute to Xiid’s mission to make organizations stronger and more resilient.”

Hitchcock is a global technology leader recognized for large-scale IT transformation and cloud innovation, having served as a CIO at Vodafone. Xiid Advisory Board member Bertrand Alexis contributes more than 25 years’ experience supporting growing international companies. Jérôme Desbonnet is a C-level cybersecurity and cloud leader at Capgemini. Kathryn Dougherty is an advisor on cyber frameworks and regulatory alignment. Formerly CEO at Alcatel-Lucent RT and vice president-cybersecurity at Capgemini, Serge Dujardin adds advisory board member to his title at Xiid, where he serves as general manager and executive vice president-international. Michel Emelianoff, formerly CEO of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, is a specialist in enterprise networking, cloud, and IoT systems.

Andy MacLeod, who has held C-level roles at Verizon and Vodafone, brings expertise in global telecom and infrastructure. Kathryn Mihalich is a specialist in compliance strategy, data governance, and security architecture. Ericsson leader Ola Persson is a telecom and 5G infrastructure expert focusing on large-scale network design and operations. Anna Vikström Persson is a leadership and culture transformation specialist for multinational organizations, having served in that function for such companies as Ericsson and Sandvik. A former senior partner and vice chair for Deloitte UK, William Touche is a specialist in board governance, financial systems, and leadership transformation. A former Houghton Mifflin Harcourt CEO who has served as a vice president at Microsoft, Oracle and PeopleSoft, Linda Zecher is a renowned executive with deep expertise in digital transformation, the public sector, and enterprise growth.

“Our advisory board brings together technology leaders who have shaped the world’s largest enterprises,” said Visconti. “Their commitment adds to Xiid’s strength as we navigate strategic expansion, ensure product-market fit and accelerate enterprise adoption on our zero knowledge networking mission to help organizations achieve true prevention by design.”

About Xiid

Xiid is revolutionizing cybersecurity with its zero knowledge networking (ZKN) architecture, which powers Xiid Identity and Access Management and Xiid SealedTunnel. Xiid’s ZKN architecture goes beyond zero trust, empowering organizations to shift from reacting to attacks to eliminating the attack surface altogether. For more information about Xiid and how its unprecedented security can make you stronger, visit www.xiid.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

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