Accenture Taps Former CIA CTO to Lead Federal Cybersecurity Practice

Accenture Federal Services (AFS) has brought on a former CIA chief technology officer to lead its cybersecurity practice. Ira “Gus” Hunt has joined Accenture to oversee its cybersecurity practice which offers clients strategic consulting, security technologies, cloud migration support, and operational security such as incident response.

Hunt retired from the CIA in 2013 after a 28-year career. As CTO, Hunt oversaw the agency’s implementation of the Amazon cloud, and led its IT strategic direction.

“We are excited that Gus has joined our team, as his expertise can help our federal clients identify new approaches to better safeguard their agencies,” David Moskovitz, chief executive for Accenture Federal Services said in a statement. “He brings the experience, vision and passion to help our clients better understand their highest-value assets, address their threats and vulnerabilities, and effectively protect themselves within their budget and technology constraints.”

Previously, Hunt served as chief architect for hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, based in Westport, Conneticut. Prior to Bridgewater, Hunt was president and CEO of Hunt Technology, a private consulting practice for security and cloud.

“I look forward to helping federal agencies meet their cyber needs, whether they are trying to secure data on their legacy systems or moving key operations to the cloud,” Hunt said in a statement. “Accenture is uniquely positioned to help federal agencies plan, design, deliver and operate these systems more securely.”