Kroll Expands Cyber Risk Practice with Hire of Christopher Ballod

Ballod to boost litigation support services, incident response protection and preparedness capabilities, assist clients in CFIUS audits.

New York - Kroll, a division of Duff & Phelps, the global leader in risk mitigation, investigations, compliance, cyber resilience, security and incident response solutions, today announced that Christopher Ballod has joined the firm as an associate managing director in its Cyber Risk practice. Ballod leverages over 15 years of experience in data privacy and cyber security, counseling clients better prepare for an incident, and during the response and notification process after an incident occurs. His experience coordinating breach response services, assessing risk, and determining adequate cyber liability coverage for clients of all sizes and across varied sectors can greatly reduce legal, financial and reputational risks in the event of a cyber incident. 

Benedetto Demonte, Managing Director and North America Cyber Risk Practice Leader commented: “We’re excited about Chris joining our Cyber Risk practice at a pivotal time for clients navigating data privacy and the cyber security threat landscape. With his deep experience in breach response services, compliance and security, Chris will provide valuable guidance to clients in quickly identifying and mitigating the most complex cyber and privacy risks. I’m delighted to welcome him to our team.”

Before joining Kroll, Ballod was a partner and vice chair of the Data Privacy & Cybersecurity practice at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, which received the Advisen Cyber Risk Award for Best Legal Practice in 2019 and 2020. He also served as a member of the firm’s Corporate and Complex Business and Commercial Litigation practices. His experience included leading the coordination of over 500 breach responses for clients across multiple sectors, including defense, construction, energy generation, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, school districts, universities and retail. 

Ballod’s regulatory compliance counseling experience includes compliance with CCPA, HIPAA, payment card industry standards (PCI-DSS), NYS Department of Financial Services compliance and GDPR. In his previous roles, he has spearheaded compliance and security programs for publicly traded traditional market companies and cutting-edge companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges and machine-learning data analytics firms. 

About Kroll, a division of Duff & Phelps
Kroll is the leading global provider of risk solutions. For more than 45 years, Kroll has helped clients make confident risk management decisions about people, assets, operations and security through a wide range of investigations, cyber security, due diligence and compliance, physical and operational security, and data and information management services. For more information, visit www.kroll.com.
Duff & Phelps is the world’s premier provider of governance, risk and transparency solutions. We work with clients across diverse sectors in the areas of valuation, corporate finance, disputes and investigations, cyber security, claims administration and regulatory compliance. With Kroll, the leading global provider of risk solutions, and Prime Clerk, the leader in complex business services and claims administration, our firm has nearly 4,000 professionals in 25 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.duffandphelps.com.