Founder of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre Joins Doppel as Strategic Advisor

Ciaran Martin will help guide international strategy and boost EMEA defense against social engineering threats

Doppel, the AI-powered Social Engineering Defense (SED) platform, announced that Ciaran Martin, founder of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, has joined the company as a strategic advisor. This appointment underscores Doppel’s commitment to building resilient, whole-of-nation defenses aligned with leading national cyber authorities, as AI dramatically increases the scale and impact of social engineering attacks.

In addition to founding the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and serving as its first CEO, Martin is a 23-year veteran of the UK Government, having worked directly under five Prime Ministers. He has held senior roles at HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, and Government Communications Headquarters. Martin also holds senior leadership and advisory roles across government and academia. He is a Professor of Practice at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government and is very active in the cybersecurity industry, including as UK Chair of CyberCX UK, Director of the SANS Institute’s Cyber Leaders Forum, and Managing Director at Paladin Capital.

By appointing Martin and expanding its reach into the UK, EU, and Five Eyes government markets, Doppel is solidifying longstanding relationships and trust at the highest levels of international cyber leadership. As it grows its global presence, the company continues to strengthen its enterprise go-to-market strategy, underscoring social engineering defense as a board-level, systemic risk rather than a narrow security control.

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“There’s so much chatter about AI and cybersecurity, and it’s really hard, but really important, to focus on what’s actually happening in the real world, away from the hype,” said Martin. “The main change AI has brought about in cybersecurity is that AI is the scale, quality, and sophistication of social engineering attacks is hugely on the up. And that trajectory will only accelerate in the years ahead. It’s very worrying. Countering it requires world class, usable technical solutions. Doppel’s ability to unify threat intelligence, automated takedowns, and real-world preparedness in a single system is exactly what’s needed. I look forward to joining this effort and helping fight the growing wave of online impersonation and fraud.”

As part of its mission to lead AI-powered social engineering defense globally, this announcement follows Doppel’s recent addition of Steve Murphy, former Senior Vice President for EMEA at Tanium, as VP of Sales, EMEA, to guide regional growth. The company also increased its footprint in San Francisco with a new office and is actively hiring across all teams, with over 60 open roles in San Francisco, New York, London, and beyond.

“Social engineering is a global challenge, not one confined to the United States, which is why expanding our international reach is a priority,” said Bobby Ford, Chief Strategy and Experience Officer at Doppel. “Ciaran is a globally respected cybersecurity leader, and his guidance will be instrumental as we expand and help organizations better understand the changing nature of social engineering attacks.”

This growth reinforces Doppel’s AI-native platform as critical cyber infrastructure for modern economies, rather than simply the next generation of security awareness training. As phishing and impersonation attacks accelerate across email, messaging, and social platforms, and AI-powered attack tools become more accessible, the need for advanced, AI-native defenses that extend beyond traditional attack surfaces is evident. Doppel proactively disrupts social engineering attacks, combining intelligence, red teaming, and preparedness to reduce risk, protect executives, and prevent financial loss across both infrastructure and human targets.