STUART MCCLURE
President
BlackBerry Cylance
Irvine
Age: 50
Lives in Newport Beach
WHY: Most prominent executive in Orange County’s bourgeoning cybersecurity industry, a market that’s included firms like Obsidian Security, CrowdStrike and SecureAuth.
HOW: Co-founder of Foundstone, a security consultancy, which he sold to McAfee in 2004. Was executive vice president, global chief technology officer and general manager at McAfee/Intel Security. Co-founded Cylance in 2012, with focus on proactive protection.
RECENT: $1.4 billion sale to Canada’s BlackBerry Inc. completed in February. Keeping Irvine hub, where nearly 400 employees are based; fifth-largest software company in OC. Parent company pivoting away from ubiquitous handheld devices of prior years.
FAST FACT: Co-wrote “Hacking Exposed,” one of best-selling IT security books. More than 600,000 copies printed.
QUOTABLE: “In summer last year, we were on track to an IPO. We had a pretty clear path. And then we were approached by BlackBerry.”
PERSONAL: Past Business Journal Innovator of the Year award winner. Was a young passenger on United Airlines Flight 811 from Honolulu to Auckland in 1989; a baggage compartment door blew off the aircraft at 23,000 feet, killing nine. Bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy, with an emphasis in computer science applications from the University of Colorado Boulder. Was a student working as a systems administrator at Colorado State University when the first known worm infiltrated internet-connected computers.
