Veteran CIO, four-time CISO, and cloud security leader brings decades of enterprise expertise to support next phase of growth and continuous offensive security innovation
Cobalt, the pioneer of penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) and a leading provider of human-led, AI-powered offensive security solutions, today announced the appointment of Tony Spinelli to its board of directors. A four-time Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), two-time Chief Information Officer (CIO), and recognized cybersecurity pioneer, Spinelli brings more than 25 years of experience advancing digital transformation and securing complex enterprise environments.
Spinelli, an early investor of Cobalt and a multi-company customer, joins the Cobalt Board of Directors at a time when organizations are rethinking how they manage cyber risk amid rapidly evolving attack surfaces, AI-driven threats, and increasingly sophisticated adversaries. His appointment strengthens the company’s support for enterprise customers as they move towards a continuous, programmatic approach to offensive security aligned with modern development and cloud environments.
“Security leaders are operating in an environment where threats evolve faster than traditional testing models can keep up,” said Sonali Shah, CEO, Cobalt. “Tony has been at the forefront of cloud transformation and cybersecurity innovation for decades, helping some of the world’s most complex organizations navigate this shift. His perspective will be invaluable as we continue to scale the Cobalt Offensive Security Platform and help customers operationalize continuous offensive security.”
Spinelli currently serves as Chief Security Officer at Halcyon and has held executive leadership roles at some of the world’s most influential organizations, including Capital One, where he helped pioneer secure cloud adoption at scale, and led machine learning and AI initiatives. Over the course of his career, he has led cybersecurity and digital transformation initiatives at companies such as Equifax, First Data, and Tyco International. In addition to his executive roles, Spinelli serves on multiple boards, including Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Peapack-Gladstone Bank, and is a long-time faculty member at George Washington University and the National Association of Corporate Directors.
“Cybersecurity has reached an inflection point where traditional defensive strategies alone are no longer sufficient,” said Tony Spinelli. “Organizations need continuous, intelligence-driven approaches that reflect how attackers actually operate today with humanistic intent. Cobalt has built a platform that combines elite human expertise with scalable technology to deliver that capability, and I’m excited to join the board and support the company’s next phase of growth.”
The appointment underscores the company’s continued momentum in the enterprise market, where organizations are increasingly adopting Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) strategies and shifting from point-in-time pentesting to continuous validation. With Spinelli’s guidance, Cobalt will further advance its mission to redefine offensive security through a unified, platform-driven approach that delivers measurable risk reduction.