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KnowBe4 has named long‑serving engineering leader Alex Callihan as its new chief technology officer, strengthening the company’s focus on securing both AI agents and human users across the digital workforce.
The announcement follows more than nine years of service from Callihan, who previously held the role of senior vice president of engineering. In his new position, he will lead the development of next‑generation products and oversee KnowBe4’s agentic research and development strategy. He reports directly to CEO Bryan Palma.
Palma said Callihan had been “instrumental in scaling [KnowBe4’s] technical capabilities” and highlighted the importance of his leadership as organisations face emerging risks linked to AI‑driven threats. Callihan will work closely with product management, customer success and marketing teams to accelerate innovation across the platform.
His appointment comes alongside the naming of Fran Roberts as general manager of KnowBe4 Studios, part of a wider leadership alignment following the launch of Agent Risk Manager and the company’s AI Defense Agents (AIDA) portfolio, which includes deepfake training content, content creation and orchestration tools.
Callihan said he was “incredibly excited” to take on the role at a pivotal moment for the cybersecurity sector, noting the need for defence against threats such as prompt injection, shadow AI and social engineering.
As part of the organisational changes, Mark Patton transitions into the role of chief scientist, working with Palma and Callihan on long‑term strategic projects.
