Paladin Capital Group is pleased to announce that Rick Ledgett, who was most recently the National Security Agency Deputy Director will join Paladin Capital Group as a Managing Director. Mr. Ledgett has four decades of intelligence, cyber security and cyber operations experience, including 29 years with the National Security Agency (NSA).
“We are very excited to have Rick as part of Paladin,” said Lt. General (Ret.) Kenneth Minihan, Managing Director at Paladin. “Rick’s subject matter expertise and experience as Deputy Director at the NSA will provide invaluable advice and guidance to Paladin and our portfolio companies.”
Most recently, Mr. Ledgett served as Deputy Director of the NSA from 2014 until his retirement in April 2017. He began his career at the NSA in 1988 and held a series of technical, operational, and leadership positions in signals intelligence and information assurance. Mr. Ledgett led the NSA’s 24/7 Threat Operations Center (NTOC), responsible for identifying and countering cyber threats to our national security systems.
Mr. Ledgett was also selected as the Intelligence Community’s (IC) first National Intelligence Manager for Cyber, serving as principal advisor to the Director of National Intelligence on all cyber matters. In this capacity, he was responsible for integrating cyber activities across 16 intelligence agencies and numerous international partners, and he developed the first National Intelligence Strategy for cyber. He served as principal advisor to the Director of National Intelligence on cyber matters, overseeing the creation of the Unified Intelligence Strategy for Cyber, and leading cyber security work across the IC. On January 4th 2018, Mr. Ledgett received the prestigious National Security Medal from President Trump for four decades of service to the Intelligence Community.
Mr. Ledgett spent nearly 11 years as a cryptologist in the U.S. Army and completed six field tours between the US Army and the NSA. Mr. Ledgett is on the U.S. Naval Academy’s Cyber Board of Advisors, and is a member of the Board of Directors of M&T Bank Corporation.
“I am delighted to welcome Rick Ledgett to Paladin,” said Michael Steed, Founder and Managing Partner of Paladin. “Rick Ledgett has had a long and distinguished career serving our country and protecting our nation’s most important information security interests around the world. He will further strengthen Paladin’s unique commitment and capability to add strategic value to its portfolio companies.”
“I’m excited to be a part of the Paladin team,” said Rick Ledgett. “They have an outstanding track record in identifying and maturing companies with cutting edge technologies and services that make a difference in both the national security and commercial space. I look forward to working with this group of talented professionals.”
About Paladin Capital Group
Paladin Capital Group was founded in 2001 and has offices in Washington DC, New York, London, Luxembourg, and Silicon Valley. As a multi-stage investor, Paladin focuses on best-of-breed companies with technologies, products, and services that meet the challenging global cyber security and digital infrastructure resilience needs for commercial and government customers. Paladin has over $1 billion in committed capital across multiple funds. Follow the firm on Twitter @Paladincap, visit their website at www.paladincapgroup.com