Staples names former HP security exec to lead cyber-security

An office supplies giant is taking steps to tighten up its data security strategies.



Staples named Brett Wahlin as its chief information security officer (CISO), responsible for global enterprise-wide information, product and data security. He will report to chief technology officer Faisal Masud, who leads Staples Digital Solutions, a new organization within the company that combines its traditional IT and digital organizations.



Wahlin’s position will be key in the digital transformation of Staples’ business. The chain remains mindful that as customer needs continue to adopt technology, especially with an acceleration into online and mobile, security threats will continue to increase. Wahlin’s role expands beyond traditional cyber security into product development, connected devices, fraud and loss prevention.



Wahlin has nearly 30 years of experience spanning information security architecture, policy, operations and development. Most recently, he was VP and CISO for Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE).



Here, he was responsible for all aspects of information security, including security operations and intelligence, security architecture, cyber risk and governance, product lifecycle security, business security and transformation, industry next security and cyber service delivery. He built world-class, extensible security capabilities that protected HPE’s assets and workforce, enabled and extended business capabilities, and showcased its security solutions at work.



Before HPE, Wahlin served as chief security officer (CSO) for Sony Network Entertainment International and CSO at McAfee. He has also worked as CISO at Los Alamos National Laboratory, VP of security architecture for Wells Fargo, and held various positions in security with Intel. He began his career as a counterintelligence agent in the U.S. Army.