Mandiant adds CTO title to its products division chief

Threat detection solutions provider Mandiant Corp. has promoted David Merkel to chief technology officer. He will continue to lead the company's products organization and serve as a member of its executive management team, according to a company announcement dated June 22.

In his new role as CTO, Merkel will be responsible for product development, technology partnerships, solution innovation, competitive differentiation, and the delivery of advanced threat detection and response solutions for the enterprise.

Merkel has worked in the information security and incident response industry for more than 15 years, including as a federal agent in the Air Force.

He joined Mandiant in 2006 after seven years directing security operations at AOL.

Merkel, who has held security clearances of Top Secret and higher, holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Mandiant, of Alexandria, Va., provides products and professional services education to commercial entities and government agencies.