AI expert Dr. Craig Martell named CTO at Cohesity

Cohesity has named Dr. Craig Martell as its new Chief Technology Officer. An authority on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, Dr. Martell will leverage his profound industry competency to help shape the technological vision of the company, while also outlining and implementing an impactful roadmap for its future.

Dr. Martell brings with him a wealth of industry experience, having led AI developments for numerous prominent tech companies since 2013. His most recent role was as the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO) for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), where he was tasked with expediting the department's adoption of data, analytics, digital solutions, and AI functions, thereby ensuring a greater decision making advantage for the department.

In his tenure as CDAO for the DoD, Dr. Martell was instrumental in navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of the AI industry. As the inaugural leader of the CDAO office, his mandate was to strengthen the development and implementation of digital and AI strategies; alongside enhancing the integration of the department's data, AI and cyber units.

Prior to his engagement with the DoD, Dr. Martell assumed various senior roles within a range of well-known technology enterprises. At Lyft, he served as the Head of Machine Learning, thereby establishing a cutting-edge Machine Learning (ML) Platform to assist the company’s engineering team in the generation and deployment of ML models through large-scale statistical programmes. Dr. Martell also held the position of the Head of Machine Intelligence at Dropbox between 2018 to 2020 where he was responsible for managing all aspects of the company's machine learning including vision-setting, applying analytics to ML, and succinctly communicating ML strategies across the organisation.

Dr. Martell's extensive imprint within the AI sphere also includes him fronting myriad AI teams and spearheading significant initiatives at LinkedIn. Previously, he served as a tenured computer science professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, specialising in natural language processing. His expertise in statistical principles and methodologies finds recognition in his array of patents, notably the 'Hybrid Classification System' in 2021 and the 'System and Method for Encrypting Data in Pictorial Data' in 2008.

Reflecting upon his appointment, Dr. Martell said: "The speed and scale Cohesity has achieved over the last several years is a testament to the incredible technology platform the company has built at the junction of multi-cloud, security and AI for the future of data protection. My role will be to accelerate the innovation internally and the advocacy externally of Cohesity’s AI-powered innovations that are second to none."

Sanjay Poonen, president and CEO at Cohesity, expressed a similar sentiment, emphasising how "Dr. Martell's appointment strengthens our strong executive leadership team with expertise across security, multi-cloud, and AI. His experience and vision for Cohesity’s AI roadmap will accelerate our lead in this critical area of our business."