Asc3nd Technologies Group Expands Leadership With Cassell, Black and Young Appointments

Asc3nd Technologies Group appointed Shena Cassell, Patrick Black and Howard Young to its leadership team on October 20, 2026, adding federal and Fortune 500 cybersecurity and operations experience. EIN Presswire published the announcement. Cassell becomes chief information security officer and director of critical infrastructure, Black becomes go-to-market chief technology officer and vice president of services, and Young becomes chief administrative officer and chief legal officer.

Cassell, Black and Young Join Asc3nd

Cassell previously served as chief information security officer and deputy chief information officer for cyber at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, where she led cybersecurity operations protecting more than 262,000 operational technology assets. Black previously served as principal account technical lead on IBM's federal team and is an Army veteran with more than 32 years of experience connecting customer requirements, emerging technologies and service delivery. Young previously served as chief people officer and counsel for CBRE Government and Defense Services, bringing over two decades of experience in organizational strategy, operations and enterprise risk.

Brian Hennigan and Deric Palmer joined Asc3nd earlier after leading critical cybersecurity programs for the U.S. Department of Defense. Over the past year, Hennigan and Palmer each built products addressing gaps they saw firsthand in how the federal government protects its systems and people.

"Threats, technologies and attack surfaces are changing faster than traditional security programs can adapt," said Sarn Bien-Aime, founder and CEO of Asc3nd. "Leaders with this experience have opportunities across the cybersecurity industry. They chose ASC3ND because they can help set the direction, build new capabilities and see their ideas through to operational use. That entrepreneurial drive is essential to keeping pace with advanced threats."

Bien-Aime also said customer missions set the company's priorities and that the team's experience will guide what Asc3nd builds, how it integrates and how it measures results. The expanded leadership team supports Asc3nd's evolution as a systems integrator with proprietary products, according to the company's announcement.

Stormshield, Papers and Nardello Appointments

Stormshield appointed Christophe Canguilhem as president and CEO, effective January 1, 2027, succeeding Pierre-Yves Hentzen, Industrialcyber reported on October 12, 2026. Canguilhem brings 25 years of aerospace and defense experience, including leading Airbus's Survey Copter, and Hentzen will join Airbus group's cybersecurity operations.

Papers AG hired cybersecurity expert Mark Barwinski as advisor for its Obsidio resilience platform, FinanzNachrichten.de reported on October 11, 2026. The platform uses the Acurast network to conduct resilience tests under realistic conditions, and the hiring aims to strengthen the company's capacity to support financial institutions.

Nardello & Co. Appointed Austin P. Berglas as Managing Director and Head of Cyber Operations, based in New York, FinancialContent Business Page reported on October 6, 2026. Berglas brings over two decades of government experience, including as FBI New York's Cyber Branch head and captain in the U.S. Army, and will focus on proactive cybersecurity consulting and AI's impact on security operations.