U.S.-based NINJIO, the premier “customer’s choice” cybersecurity awareness training company, has announced the addition of growth marketing expert Tom Richards to its executive team. Richards’ experience includes working with leading B2B and B2C organizations such as Apple, TiVo, and Expedia; and he has been a key contributor to NINJIO’s growth to date, as their head of digital marketing through his company, Haverty Consulting.

With its recent strategic investment from Gauge Capital, NINJIO continues its focus on penetrating new markets and expanding its reach with a line-up of reputable, experienced board members and industry experts including Richards, Brett Wahlin, and Janet Schijns. Richards’ remit includes GTM strategy, lead generation, brand awareness, events, content, earned media, and owned media activities.

“Tom is responsible for approximately 80% of our sales leads via the work we’ve been doing together over the past three years,” says Zack Schuler, CEO of NINJIO. “He has been an integral part of NINJIO’s success to date, and when we decided to pull the trigger on an internal head of marketing, Tom was the obvious choice. His extensive experience with small, medium, and global business will continue to inform our marketing approach, and his expertise will drive our future GTM strategy.”

Adds Richards: “To watch the company grow from zero customers to reaching an audience of millions—while simultaneously receiving awards, accolades, and industry nods as an innovator in the otherwise banal cybersecurity awareness training sector—has been extremely rewarding, and I’m looking forward to the next phase.”

To date, under Richards’ leadership, NINJIO’s marketing-related activities (including thought leadership articles, white papers, and trend reports) have landed the company in publications like Inc, Forbes, CEO Views, CISO Magazine, Security Magazine, Dark Reading, Security Magazine, CIO Dive, Cybersecurity Dive, Innovation & Tech Today, Toolbox Security, U.S. Cybersecurity Magazine, CIO Bulletin, and many others. Touted as a go-to cybersecurity awareness training expert, Schuler has appeared on global reaching podcasts hosted by eWeek, Cybercrime Magazine, CyberWire, and Cybersecurity Ventures.

Alongside NINJIO’s newly announced head of channel sales, Tim Acker, Richards will continue to play an integral role in taking NINJIO’s brand to the next level of visibility. Adds Schuler: “We have an extremely aggressive growth plan for the next 18 to 24 months, and I know Tom is the perfect maestro for aligning the team toward sales and marketing objectives in order for the company to achieve its overarching goal: educating millions more as to the importance of cyber threat awareness and behavior-based training.”