NTT Com Security boss Church steps down

CFO Heiner Luntz also leaving following ‘successful period of strategic repositioning and growth' for security VAR

NTT Com Security's chief executive and chief financial officer have stepped down from their posts, the security integrator - formerly Integralis - announced today.

Simon Church and his financial lieutenant, Heiner Luntz, will leave the Germany-headquartered firm on 31 July.

Church, who joined NTT Com Security in 2009 and was made chief executive in 2012, revealed he is moving to take up a role at security investment firm C5 Capital.

Their departure follows a "successful period of strategic repositioning and growth" for the firm, with revenues nigh-on doubling from €166m in calendar year 2009 to an expected €300m-plus in its current financial year ending 31 March 2016.

"Both Heiner and I would like to commend our team, our customers and our partners on bringing innovation, development and opportunity to the table, helping us to get to where we are today. We both feel that we have achieved what we set out to do," Church said.

The two empty chairs will be filled from within, with NTT Com Security's current senior vice president of central Europe, Frank Brandenburg, being made CEO and Martin Naughalty, currently senior vice president of Global Finance and Operations, assuming CFO duties.

Tetsuya Shoji, chief executive of NTT Communications, said: "We are delighted that Frank and Martin have accepted the roles of CEO and CFO, respectively.

"They know NTT Com Security inside and out having worked with the company for several years. We are confident of a seamless transition within the management team as they take up their new roles. With the full support of my company, NTT Communications, we have no doubt that they will take NTT Com Security to the next stage of our global growth. With increasing cyber threat around the world, we expect NTT Com Security to become a core player within NTT Group and expand career opportunities for its employees as well."