Sean Kanuck

Sean Kanuck is an attorney and strategic consultant who advises governments, law firms, corporations, and entrepreneurs. As an internationally recognized expert and visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in the cyber field, he has led national-level programs and worked directly with many international institutions. He specializes in the nexus between technology, law, and security. Sean regularly gives keynote addresses for global audiences on a variety of cyber topics, ranging from risk analysis to identity intelligence to arms control.

Sean served as the first National Intelligence Officer for Cyber Issues from 2011 to 2016. He came to the National Intelligence Council after a decade of experience in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Information Operations Center, including both analytic and field assignments. In his Senior Analytic Service role, he was a contributing author for the 2009 White House Cyberspace Policy Review, an Intelligence Fellow with the Directorates for Cybersecurity and Combating Terrorism at the National Security Council, and a member of the United States delegation to the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on international information security.

Prior to government service, Sean practiced law with Skadden Arps in New York, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and banking matters. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and his academic publications focus on information warfare and international law. Sean holds degrees from Harvard University (A.B., J.D.), the London School of Economics (M.Sc.), and the University of Oslo (LL.M.). He also proudly serves as a Trustee of the Center for Excellence in Education, a charity promoting STEM education that is based in McLean, Virginia.