Silent Circle, a pioneer in enterprise-class mobile security, privacy and compliance solutions, today announced Gregg Smith as chief executive officer. Joining with more than two decades of proven global experience in mobile and cybersecurity, he has led multiple companies through startup and expansion stages. In his role with Silent Circle, he is responsible for all corporate, business and product operations worldwide.

Smith comes to Silent Circle following a successful tenure as chief executive officer with Optio Labs, a mobile security company. Under his leadership, the company expanded its solutions portfolio while adding market-leading customers and partners. Notable accolades included winning the Emerging Technology Award (E-Tech) for Enterprise Mobile Security and Privacy at CTIA Super Mobility in September 2016, besting such industry stalwarts as Nokia SAP.

Silent Circle also announced that FireEye Vice President and Global Government Chief Technology Officer William "Tony" Cole has joined its board of directors. Retired from the U.S. Army and cited as one of the most influential industry executives affecting government, the internationally recognized security thought leader assists governments in understanding today's advanced threats and their potential impacts. FireEye has over 5,600 customers across 67 countries, including more than 40 percent of the Forbes Global 2000.

According to the recently released Cisco 2017 Annual Cybersecurity Report, mobile devices topped the list of security professionals' biggest sources of concern related to cyber attacks -- ahead of data in the public cloud, cloud infrastructure and user behavior such as clicking on malicious links in emails or on websites. The mobile privacy market is expected to double by 2021, according to ABI Research. Notably, secure mobile revenues will exceed $19 billion (U.S.) in that same timeframe, with more than 20 percent of those dollars generated by secure voice and secure messaging.

"Securing mobile communications -- phone calls, texts, emails, videos and images -- is the new battleground in the war against corporate espionage, data theft and a range of other damaging infiltrations," said Mike Janke, Silent Circle co-founder and chairman, former member of the elite U.S. Navy SEAL Teams and internationally respected privacy and security thought leader. "Customer demand for our end-to-end encrypted, enterprise-class suite has never been stronger -- we just closed one of the strongest quarters in the company's history. We require a hands-on, five-tool player in the CEO seat as we take things to the next level. There's nobody better suited than Gregg to serve in that role. Having Tony join our board at the same time brings us tremendous insight and expertise in both positions."

"I've spent more than two decades in the mobile, security and privacy sectors," Smith said. "During that time, I've seen tremendous changes in the products available and how consumers, enterprises and governments use them. The productivity advantages have never been higher, and neither have the risks. Silent Circle is a pioneer in securing mobile communications and I'm thrilled to join as the company embarks on its next stage of growth."

Throughout his 25-year career, Smith has provided outstanding returns for his investors, including multiple exits with transactions totalling in excess of a half-billion dollars. Highlights include serving as CEO of mobile marketing firm Acuity Mobile, where he grew the startup into an industry leader before being acquired by NAVTEQ, a billion dollar division of Nokia. Prior to that, as president of Aether's Enterprise Division, Smith architected revenue growth from $3 million to $100 million while establishing the organization as the early leader in providing mobile solutions to the enterprise. Prompted by its growth, TeleCommunication Systems acquired the firm.

A graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland, Smith serves as a board member with several private companies. Given his expertise and experience, he is also a sought-after speaker at mobile, wireless and security industry events as well as at investment conferences.

With Smith in place, Silent Circle's Interim CEO and General Counsel Matt Neiderman has transitioned from the company to pursue other interests.

Silent Circle's products are deployed in hundreds of the most demanding network environments worldwide, including leading Fortune 100 accounts and government organizations. Designed by the best minds in mobility, encryption, security and privacy, Silent Circle's fundamentally different technology sets the standard for enterprise privacy and security.

The company's secure mobile communications suite comprises:

• Software: Silent Phone application providing secure calling, conferencing, messaging, file sharing and video, all available in minutes via a simple user download, with new enterprise features and functionality being added each month
• Devices: Blackphone handset representing the world's most secure smartphone, based on an enhanced Android operating system
• Encrypted Calling Plans: Silent World providing out-of-theater secure calling to land and mobile lines of non-subscribers in more than 100 locations around the world
• Hosted Services: Silent Manager delivering organization-wide user management via a web-based administration console

About Silent Circle

Silent Circle is a leader in enterprise privacy and security, delivered through a game-changing mobile ecosystem of software and services to build a fundamentally better mobile architecture. The company was co-founded by former Navy SEAL and security expert Mike Janke; Internet Hall of Famer Phil Zimmermann, developer of Silent Circle's ZRTP cryptography protocol and co-founder of PGP Corporation; and Jon Callas, creator of Apple's whole disk encryption software and also a PGP Corporation co-founder. Silent Circle is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. Visit us at www.silentcircle.com.