Advania appoints Mattias Røstad Jørum as director of cyber resilience

The new exec will oversee the group’s security push across the Nordics, UK and Ireland

Sweden-based VAR Advania has hired Mattias Røstad Jørum as director of cyber resilience to lead the group’s security strategy.

Jørum will be responsible for strengthening collaboration between Advania’s security teams across the Nordics, UK and Ireland and developing the company’s wider cyber resilience approach.

He joins from cybersecurity service provider Telenor Cyberdefence, where he served as director of consulting for nearly two years and led services across several cybersecurity disciplines.

Prior to that, Jørum held security roles at mnemonic and worked across advisory services and business development at Bekk.

He will report directly to CEO Hege Støre.

“Cyber resilience is one of our three strategic growth areas,” said Støre.

“We have built strong security teams across Advania, and with [Jørum] in this role, we are further strengthening both collaboration and our shared ambition in this field."

Jørum added: “Not every organisation has the opportunity to build large in-house security teams. That is why it is important to have a partner that combines local presence with deep specialist expertise.

"Advania already has a very strong foundation in place and I look forward to further strengthening collaboration across the group for the benefit of our customers."

The appointment comes amid wider investment from Advania across AI and cybersecurity.

Last month, the company launched Advania ALT, its sovereign AI platform aimed at giving organisations greater control over how they use AI and manage their data.

Earlier this year, Støre told CRN that AI, cyber resilience and total lifecycle management would drive the firm’s evolution.

The group has also expanded its capabilities through acquisitions over the past 12 months.

In May, it bought out Cortex Consult A/S in Denmark to strengthen its managed services offering across the Nordics as well as Evolv Robotics to boost its AI and automation portfolio and expand its footprint in Iceland.

In October, it purchased German system house smartvokat to consolidate its legal and compliance service delivery transformation capabilities across Europe.

The company has also revamped its leadership team over the past year, particularly in the UK.

Last September, it promoted James Hardy to UK CEO, replacing Geoff Kneen after three years in the role.

Two months later, the firm made 45 people redundant as its CFO left the business.

Støre took over as acting head of Advania UK in February, replacing Hardy after five months in the role.

That same month, Advania UK named Sabrina Harris CFO and Tara Allison CMO.

Ian Goodfellow was hired as managing director of its UK VAR business in May.

Advania UK ranks number 48 on CRN’s Top VARs list.