HITRUST Appoints Cybersecurity Veteran Tom Kellermann to Lead Expansion in Third-Party Risk Management
HITRUST's appointment of Tom Kellermann as Vice President of Cyber Risk strengthens its focus on addressing supply chain security threats, with third parties involved in 30% of breaches according to recent data.
HITRUST has appointed Tom Kellermann as Vice President of Cyber Risk, bringing over two decades of cybersecurity leadership experience to drive the company's industry engagement and expansion into new markets. Kellermann will focus on elevating third-party and supply chain security programs, a critical area given that third-party involvement is present in 30% of breaches today according to Verizon's 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report.
Kellermann will accelerate adoption of HITRUST's comprehensive portfolio of threat-adaptive information security and AI assessments, along with operational enablement tools that make effective third-party risk management practical. These include electronic results distribution and exchange, concierge onboarding services, and the company's new integration with ServiceNow's TPRM platform. His work will help organizations strengthen supply chain security and business resilience while driving cost reductions, risk mitigation, and program simplification.
Blake Sutherland, Executive Vice President of Market Engagement at HITRUST, stated that Kellermann's unique combination of government advisory experience and private sector cybersecurity leadership makes him an invaluable addition to help organizations achieve unmatched cyber resilience. Kellermann's expertise will be instrumental in advancing HITRUST's mission to deliver quantifiable proof of risk reduction.
Prior to joining HITRUST, Kellermann served as Chief Cybersecurity Officer for Carbon Black Inc. and Head of Cybersecurity Strategy for VMware. He held executive positions at Contrast Security, Trend Micro, and Core Security, and served as Deputy CISO for the World Bank Treasury. His government service includes appointments to the Cyber Investigations Advisory Board for the United States Secret Service in 2020 and the Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th President of the United States in 2008.
Kellermann expressed excitement about joining HITRUST at a time when organizations need to demonstrate measurable cybersecurity outcomes, noting that HITRUST's vision, practical approach, and record of preventing breaches match his commitment to developing effective security solutions. The appointment reinforces HITRUST's commitment to maintaining its position as the gold standard in cybersecurity assurance, with certified organizations reporting an incident rate of just 0.59% in 2024 according to HITRUST's 2025 Trust Report.