ISACA appoints new CEO

It's been a milestone year for ISACA, the IT governance and systems assurance group that offers the widely respected CISA, CISM, CGEIT and CRISC certifications. In April, ISACA arrived at its 45th anniversary, and announced that it had passed the 100,000 mark in global membership. (In all, ISACA claims more than 115,000 total members and non-member credential holders.)

Now the former Information Systems Audit and Control Association, founded in 1969, is turning a page in the annals of its executive leadership. In September of last year, Susan M. Caldwell retired after serving more than two deacades as CEO of ISACA. Today, the group announced that Matthew S. Loeb has been appointed to replace Caldwell beginning Sept. 1. (Ron Hale has manned the CEO post on an interim basis since last fall.)

Loeb, a 20-year veteran of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), impressed ISACA's CEO search committee with his diverse background, including professional experience in digital publishing, certification, global expansion and new programs in emerging technologies. ISACA's international president, Tony Hayes, said in a statement, "Matt is the right person to lead ISACA and is an ideal match for the execution of ISACA's Strategy 2022, a long-term plan to expand the association's reach into critical areas impacting business and technology, including cybersecurity and privacy."

Loeb attended Bates College, a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine, and worked at the American Society for Quality's Quality Press immediately prior to commencing his IEEE tenure. His IEEE executive bio states that Loeb was responsible for directing IEEE's enterprise strategy, corporate development, global business operations, governance, corporate recognition, and history functions. He also served as executive director of IEEE Foundation, a philanthropic appendage to IEEE.

Loeb said in a release announcing his appointment that ISACA faces increasingly complex challenges as the group carries out its mission to ensure the reliability and value of information systems. "While ISACA already delivers resources to help, we have the opportunity to do even more," Loeb said, "including increasing appreciation for the role our professionals play in advancing economic prosperity and keeping the digital world safe."