KnowBe4 Taps Veteran IT Leader Joel Kemmerer as New CIO to Drive Digital Transformation

KnowBe4 is making a high-profile addition to its executive bench as the cybersecurity company continues to scale its human risk management platform. The firm announced today that Joel Kemmerer has been named chief information officer, bringing decades of IT leadership experience to guide its next phase of digital transformation.

Kemmerer’s career spans more than 30 years, with leadership roles at companies including N-able, SolarWinds, and AMD. He has overseen enterprise IT strategy, business systems modernization, and cloud migrations at a global scale. His track record includes recognition at the 2022 American Business Awards, where his team was honored as Information Technology Department of the Year.

For KnowBe4, which has positioned itself as a category leader in mitigating human risk through training and behavior-based security controls, Kemmerer’s appointment underscores a commitment to operational excellence as well as internal innovation.

“As a bridge builder and connector, Joel is able to translate complex technology ecosystems to be consumable by all users,” said Bryan Palma, CEO of KnowBe4. “He brings unique business acumen to KnowBe4 and we are excited to welcome him to the team for this critical role in our growing company.”

Kemmerer said he plans to focus on embedding transformation across every layer of the business. “Joining KnowBe4 as CIO, my plan is to reimagine how we deliver value to our customers, embed operational excellence in everything we do, and empower our teams to transform and innovate at every level. I look forward to helping KnowBe4 accelerate its strategic vision and drive meaningful change that positions us for long-term success.”

His background includes a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and an MBA from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.

With the appointment, KnowBe4 is signaling that the CIO role will be central to its growth strategy, not only in scaling internal operations but also in shaping how the company delivers its expanding suite of cybersecurity and human risk management solutions to enterprises worldwide.