DI People: Vio Security, Cyber Defense Labs, Caliber, and More Make Moves

Across North Texas, companies are promoting and hiring people to take on leadership positions within their organizations.

Dallas Innovates covers prominent personnel moves in Dallas-Fort Worth businesses and nonprofits—from the newest startups to well-established companies. Here are the people moves tied to innovation and technology in the region.

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Vio Security hires a new CEO

John Hudson

Dallas-based Vio Security, a community-based security alarm monitoring company, has named John P. Hudson as its new chief executive officer.

Hudson is a 25-year security and sales veteran whose appointment represents an important development in Vio’s U.S. expansion. Using capital from private investment firm Arena Investors, the company is focusing on increasing its direct sales force to generate organic growth, and widening its product base for smart home systems. Hudson joins Vio with a track record of increasing recurring revenue and creating new subscriber models, most recently serving as transformation leader and VP/general manager of North American Security.

“John’s reputation and impressive track record in the home security space has made him the perfect fit for this role. His extensive knowledge of the industry paired with his sales leadership skills directly aligns with Vio’s current needs,” Scott Gold, managing director of Arena Investors, said in a statement. “John is the final element following an extensive rebuilding of Vio Security’s brand, products, infrastructure and commitment to its customers.”

Cyber Defense Labs names a CFO

Marla Beckham

Headquarted in Dallas, Cyber Defense Labs, a security service provide that helps companies detect, manage, and respond to today’s cyber risk, has named Marla Beckham as chief financial officer.

Beckham brings a track record of success in leading various aspects of corporate finance, specializing in financial management, budgeting and forecasting, risk mitigation, cost controls, and strategic planning. Previously, she served as chief financial officer at Epic Aviation where she helped the company expand into new markets and complete a successful sale to Signature Aviation. At Cyber Defense Labs, Beckham will oversee all financial operations while working closely with its leadership team to support Cyber Defense Labs’ business strategy and anticipated growth.

“Marla brings strong executive financial experience, deep knowledge, and operational insights which will be instrumental as Cyber Defense Labs continues to grow and serve more companies seeking a trusted, reliable partner for cyber risk management,” said Cyber Defense Labs Chief Executive Officer Robert Anderson, Jr, in a statement. “Her enthusiastic ‘partner’ approach toward strengthening business operations with those she works with will drive immediate value and make a positive impact across our organization. We are excited to welcome her to the team.”

BizCom Associates appoints a Media Relations Coordinator

Loren Brown

Located in Allen, BizCom Associates, a public relations and marketing communications firm, has added Loren Brown to its rapidly expanding team as a media relations coordinator.

A graduate of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Brown was heavily involved in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and was with CossmanPR prior to joining BizCom. At CossmanPR, Brown focused on developing press releases for a diverse roster of clients as well as maintaining clients’ quarterly results report, including media and influencer audits. In her new position, Brown will be responsible for providing media relations support to the agency’s world-class roster of global clients.

“We are excited to have Loren on the BizCom team,” Monica Feid, president of BizCom PR, said in a statement. “Her exceptional skills and experience make her the perfect addition to our Media Relations Division.”

Caliber adds to its Board of Directors

Linda Massman

Headquarted in Lewisville, Caliber, a collision repair company, has appointed Linda K. Massman to its Board of Directors and chair of the Audit Committee.

With a career rooted in finance across a broad range of industries, Massman has accrued 23 years of corporate finance, business strategy, and leadership experience from her time as an executive for Clearwater Paper Corporation, Supervalu, Accenture, and Ralphs Grocery. As part of Caliber’s board, Massman plans to strengthen the company’s fiscal compliance and financials for its 1,250-plus service centers in order for Caliber to continue to restore more than 1.5 million vehicles annually and support its more than 21,500 teammates.

“We are thrilled to welcome Linda to our Caliber board and family,” said Steve H. Grimshaw, Caliber’s executive chairman, in a statement. “Linda brings extensive experience and demonstrated success in strategy, finance, and retail. Her diverse business expertise makes her an excellent addition to our board, and we look forward to Linda’s contributions as we accelerate Caliber’s growth and further our purpose of ‘Restoring the Rhythm of Your Life’.”

Invitation Homes Inc. names chief investment officer

John Gibson

Dallas-based Invitation Homes Inc, a single-family home leasing company, announced the promotion of John Gibson to executive vice president and chief investment officer, effective immediately.

Prior to joining Invitation Homes, Gibson spent 21 years with Goldman Sachs and its subsidiary, Archon Group, with various positions in real estate asset management, strategy, and people management. In December 2016, Gibson joined Invitation Homes as senior vice president of Asset Management and was later promoted to executive vice president of Portfolio Management.

In addition, Paul Mauk has been promoted to senior vice president of Portfolio Development. And, Peter DiLello, senior vice president, Investment Management Group, and Alicia MacPhee, senior vice president, Field Division-East, both join the Committee to bring their unique and extensive knowledge to the group.

“We are pleased to recognize the strong contributions John, Paul, Peter, and Alicia have made to the company’s business,” Dallas Tanner, president and chief executive officer of Invitation Homes, said in a statement. “As the nation’s premier home leasing company, we rely on the strength of our people, and we appreciate the value these executives have brought to our company’s leadership as well as to the systems, processes, and teams in their respective organizations.”

Prime Technology Group names new CEO

Nick Sharma

Dallas’ Prime Technology Group (Prime), a leading global technology services provider that recently merged with Synerzip, has appointed Nick Shwarma as the new CEO of the combined company.

Formerly, Shwarma held senior management positions in technology and infrastructure services at Digital (now HPE), Nortel Networks, Unisys, and Satyam Computer Services (now Tech Mahindra). He has also been CEO of CSS Corporation, Decision One, Savantis Solutions, and most recently worked as managing partner at Persistent Systems. In his new role, Shwarma will focus on market leadership, managing technological disruption, and forging long-standing client relationship.

“We believe Nick is the right person to lead our next phase of growth. He has an exceptional leadership track record, deep industry expertise, a unique ability to forge long-standing client relationships, and proven experience in driving transformation and managing technological disruption,” Aziz Virani, board member and executive advisor at Frontenac, said in a statement.

Cyber Group, Inc. adds a new VP

Azkar Choudhry

With offices in Dallas and New Delhi, Cyber Group, Inc., a company that leverages salesforce platform technologies to help its clients get closer to their customers, has announced Azkar Choudhry as a new vice president.

For over 24 years, Choudhury has built and directed diverse, multinational, top-performing teams; providing increased value to organizations by aligning IT and Operations with corporate culture and initiatives to achieve first-mover advantage in highly competitive markets. The commercially astute tech executive specializes in directing and delivering “digital enabled business transformation initiatives.His extensive experience in technology consulting and advisory uniquely suits him to drive innovation and navigate the shifting winds of market consolidation as Cyber Group’s vice president.

“We are so excited to welcome Azkar to the Cyber Group team!” said Jonathan Goldstein, SVP, Retail Energy at Cyber Group in a statement. “Cyber Group’s Retail Energy Practice focuses on leveraging the Salesforce platform to increase retention and streamline customer acquisition. Azkar’s passion for technology, driving innovation and inspiring teams to high performance will fit well within this practice. We know Azkar will propel our practice to new heights!”

Mohr Partners welcomes Kevin Frederick

With its headquarters in Dallas, Mohr Parteners, a global corporate real estate advisor that provides corporate tenants with an integrated set of portfolio services, is welcoming back real estate veteran Kevin Frederick.

Frederick previously served as a senior account manager with Mohr Partners for six years and during his tenure played a key role in securing several new client accounts. Having been in the information technology industries for over two decades, he is equipped to return to the firm to enhance client development and talent acquisition in the ever changing climate. In his new role, Frederick will report to Mohr Partners’ controller and head of client accounting, Sohail Hamirani, in which he will help drive the expansion of the firm’s new integrated lease accounting service offering known as Global Lease Services.

“Kevin’s extensive knowledge of the commercial real estate industry and Mohr Partners best-in-class client service platform makes him the ideal professional to lead our enterprise sales & talent acquisition,” Hamirani said in a statement.