Baltimore cybersecurity firm OptioLabs names new CEO
Reporter
Baltimore Business Journal
Baltimore cybersecurity firm OptioLabs Inc. has promoted Bill Anderson, formerly a chief product officer, to CEO. He replaces Gregg Smith, who took over the company's top spot two years ago.
Smith began scaling up operations at the five-year-old mobile security company, making several hires and growing the team from just a handful of engineers to about 35 employees. The company is based in the B&O Warehouse at Camden Yards and has a second office in Nashville.
Smith led the company through a period of "really rapid expansion," Anderson said, and put OptioLabs in good position to be able to advance and commercialize its products. Anderson said after over two years, Smith decided it was time to move on to a new venture, but he could not disclose what Smith's next moves would be. He continues to advise Anderson as the company makes the transition.
Anderson has a background in developing and marketing security hardware, software and intellectual property and has been working with OptioLabs since 2015. He holds a bachelor's degree and PhD in electrical engineering, with specialization in cryptography and prior to joining the company, Anderson founded another data security startup, Oculis Labs in 2007, and led it through an acquisition by OptioLabs in 2015.
He has also served as vice chair for the Maryland Technology DevelopmentCorp.'s board of directors and vice president of encryption products for SafeNet Inc, a Belcamp identity and data protection firm.
Anderson said his focus going into 2017 is on piloting and building out OptioLabs' security products to help meet the security needs of its commercial and government customers.
"Now is the time to execute on products. We have a working team and a good process, and now we’re going to start closing deals, aiming for repeated sales, more exposure and more credibility within the targeted markets we’re going after," Anderson said. "It's going to be a big year for us. We have a lot of promising technology and not a lot of companies can do what we can do. We’re going to start proving that."
Hamilton Turner, chief technology officer, Patrick Geritz, vice president of sales, and Andy Meister, vice president of engineering, will make up Anderson's management team.
Morgan is a reporter for the Baltimore Business Journal. She covers technology, education and health care.
