Shaun Blackburn
About Shaun Blackburn
Shaun Blackburn is the Deputy CISO at Gemini and an advisor at Opus Security and YL Ventures. He has held leadership roles in security at Airbnb, Netflix, and Amazon, and has a strong background in information security and technology.
Title and Current Roles
Shaun Blackburn serves as the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Gemini, a position he has held since 2023. In addition to this role, he is actively involved with Opus Security as an Advisor and with YL Ventures as a Venture Advisor, both roles he has been part of since 2022. Shaun also serves as the Director of Information Security at Gemini, indicating a deep engagement with the company’s security strategy and operations.
Professional Experience at Airbnb
From 2019 to 2022, Shaun Blackburn worked at Airbnb as the Head of Detection Engineering, Incident Response, and Vulnerability Management. In this role, he led four specialized teams focused on detection engineering, incident response, insider threat, and security platform engineering. He was also asked to lead the company's vulnerability management program and team, showcasing his expertise in handling intricate security challenges.
Roles at Netflix and Amazon Web Services
Shaun Blackburn held significant positions at Netflix and Amazon Web Services (AWS). At Netflix, he served as the Head of Cloud Infrastructure Security from 2017 to 2019, where he likely oversaw security measures for the company’s cloud operations. Before Netflix, he was a Member of the CISO Advisory Council at AWS from 2018 to 2019, contributing to high-level security directives.
Early Career at Amazon and Founding TekSolid
Shaun’s earlier career highlights include multiple roles at Amazon. He served as Manager of Security Operations from 2014 to 2017 and as Technical Program Manager from 2013 to 2014. He initially joined Amazon as a Systems Engineer from 2010 to 2012 in Seattle, WA. Prior to his tenure at Amazon, Shaun founded TekSolid and was its President from 2007 to 2010 in Tri-Cities, Washington. His role as founder indicates an entrepreneurial drive and a foundational background in security solutions.
Education and Certifications
Shaun Blackburn completed a Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance from Carnegie Mellon University. Additionally, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Shaun’s advanced education also includes a CISO Executive Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University in 2023, which highlights his continued dedication to professional development in the field of information security.