After Transforming Virgin Atlantic’s Cyber Defenses From Legacy Systems to the Torq AI SOC Platform, White Now Helps Global CISOs Navigate the Transition to Agentic Security Operations
Torq, the established agentic security operations leader, announced former Virgin Atlantic CISO John White has joined Torq as Field CISO. Following Torq’s $140M Series D, White shifts from the customer side to the Torq leadership team, propelling global enterprise CISOs to modernize their strategies and adopt true Agentic AI.
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White is a highly respected security executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience. Prior to Virgin Atlantic, he built and transformed security functions for global organizations including ASOS, Liberty Global, AEG Europe, and KPMG, spanning retail, telecommunications, energy, and live entertainment.
At Virgin Atlantic, White did not just oversee security, he reinvented it. Leading a multi-year transformation across airline, cargo, and vacation businesses, White deployed the Torq AI SOC Platform to modernize its cyber operations. The result was a dramatic increase in protection and efficiency that convinced him the industry had reached a pivotal moment.
“I’m thrilled to join Torq as agentic SOC innovation meets market momentum at hyperscale,” said White. “Having seen firsthand how the Torq AI SOC Platform accelerates triage, investigation, and response across complex IT environments, I’m excited to help lead Torq customers and prospects into this incredible new era. The Torq AI SOC Platform proves AI is no longer optional. Instead of creating conventional org charts, I encourage CISOs everywhere to put up an agentic workforce chart and ensure their SOC team is aligned with its capabilities and potential. It’s official: Agentic AI is now the core architecture of the modern SOC.”
As a strategic partner for security leaders In his new role, White serves as a consultative peer to Torq’s community of CISOs and security stakeholders. He focuses on CISO-to-CISO engagement, helping security teams cut through the noise of the market, and implement practical, outcome-driven Agentic AI strategies. His mandate is to bridge the gap between technical potential and executive strategy for Torq’s customer base, which includes Marriott, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, and Uber.
“Bringing John White on board reflects our commitment to a practitioner-led approach,” said Ofer Smadari, CEO and co-founder, Torq. “John isn’t a theorist. Rather, he has the battle scars from running mission-critical security at a global airline. He understands the pressure CISOs face because he was in their seat just yesterday. He chose to join Torq to help the industry move faster, and his experience will be invaluable to every security leader looking to fix their SOC.”
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