Monument Capital Group Holdings Appoints World Class Team of Science and Data Experts to Advise on Security and Technology Acquisitions

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Leading figures in the world of cryptology and data security have joined the expert team at global security industry investment firm Monument Capital Group Holdings (MCGH).

MCGH is an international private investment firm focused on investments in non-lethal products and services in the global and national security sectors. MCGH specifically targets leading-edge technology companies.

Michael Leiter is Head of Global Government & Cyber Operations and Senior Counselor to the CEO of Palantir Technologies. From 2007 to 2011 he was Director of the United States National Counterterrorism Centre. Mr Leiter has joined MCGH as a Senior Advisor. He will work the MCGH team to provide analysis of the changing global cyber security space and help to inform the firms' target market and acquisition strategy.

Professor Silvio Micali is a world-renowned cryptologist at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Turing Award Laureate. Professor Alex Pentland is Director of Human Dynamics at MIT Media Lab. He is considered a world-leading expert on data. Both have joined MCGH as scientific advisors.

Chairman and Managing Partner of Monument Capital Group Holdings Joël André Ornstein said:

"We are developing a team of world class experts who have an unrivalled understanding of the pioneering development and application of technology within the fast moving security and data industries. We are one of only a handful of private equity firms focusing exclusively on the global security market and these appointments give us the insight and edge needed to deliver high growth returns."

Spending on technology and services in the global and national security sectors currently exceeds more than $1.3 trillion globally and is expected to continue to grow in excess of 7% per annum.

The need for off-the-shelf innovative technologies means that middle-market R&D driven companies, pioneering technological innovation, are able to access this high growth, radically shifting market.

Monument Capital Group Holdings Co-founder Robert J.Dunn said:

"Changes in the global security landscape are creating a demand for different kinds of technology developed by new, small to midcap technology-led companies. Monument Capital Group Holdings is targeting investment at those companies that have the potential for significant growth. We use our expertise and access to emerging markets to create significant opportunities for investors and innovative firms alike."

Michael Leiter, Professor Micali and Professor Pentland join an MCGH team that comprises leading figures from the worlds of finance, private equity, government and the technology security sectors.

Notes to Editors 

1. Michael Leiter is Head of Global Government & Cyber Operations and Senior Counselor to the CEO of Palantir Technologies. Leiter overseas all of Palantir's work with government in the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia as well as Palantir's cyber defense work with several Fortune 500 companies. Before joining Palantir Michael Leiter was Director of the United States National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC) from 2007 to 2011 under both Presidents G.W. Bush and Obama. As Director of the NCTC, Leiter led the primary organisation in the U.S. government for analysis and integration of all terrorism intelligence, both domestically and overseas.

2. Professor Silvio Micali serves as the Ford Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Micali has received the Turing Award (in computer science), the Gödel Prize (in theoretical computer science), and the RSA prize (in cryptography). He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Fellow of the International Association for Cyptologic research. 

3. Alex Pentland directs MIT's Human Dynamics Laboratory and the MIT Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program, co-leads the World Economic Forum Big Data and Personal Data initiatives. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineers, a member of the Advisory Boards for Nissan, Motorola Mobility, Telefonica, and a variety of start-up firms. In 2012 Forbes named Professor Pentland one of the 'seven most powerful data scientists in the world'.

4. Monument Capital Group Holdings (monumentcapitalgroup.com) (an affiliate of Monument Capital Group) and Monument Capital Group Acquisition Holdings began operations in 2013. The company's co-founders and Managing Partners are Joël André Ornstein (Chairman), founder of Majorn Corp a joint venture partnership between The Carlyle Group and the Paris based investment holding company Euris Group. Robert J. Dunn, former member of the Buyout Team with The Carlyle Group and former head of its operations in Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Turkey and Douglas Baker, former Special Assistant to President G.W. Bush for Homeland Security.

5. MCGH is advised by a senior team comprising:

• Robert F. Armao - Chairman of the global advisory firm Armao and Company and former Assistant to Nelson Rockefeller.
• James A. Baker, III− Former Secretary of State to President G.H.W Bush and former Secretary of Treasury to President Reagan and Chief of Staff to both Presidents Reagan and G.H.W. Bush.
• Todd Bradley - Former Executive Vice President of Hewlett Packard's Strategic Growth Initiatives, former CEO of Palm, Inc. and EVP of Global Operations for Gateway, Inc.
• Frank C. Carlucci− Chairman Emeritus of The Carlyle Group and former Secretary of Defense and National Security Adviser to President Reagan.
• Mustafa V. Koç - Chairman of Koç Holding, Turkey's largest conglomerate and one of Europe's largest companies.
• Thomas F. McLarty, III− Former Chief of Staff to President Clinton and former Chairman of Arkla, a Fortune 500 natural gas company.
• Douglas A. Ollivant - Former National Security Council (NSC) Director under both Presidents G.W. Bush and Obama . Retired Army Officer, advisor to Generals in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
• Kulbir Singh - The former Head of the Western India Corporate Banking Division at Grindlays Bank. Singh runs an Indian based advisory business instructing international corporations on entry strategies into India's marketplace.

The depth of talent within the MCGH team means the company has unrivalled understanding and experience of working with international governments, private and public corporations.

6. MCG and its affiliates have invested in two portfolio companies and two add on acquisitions. In 2011 Persistent Sentinel, a U.S-based provider of enhanced security and surveillance software products. In 2012, SDi a provider of advanced security systems integration and management. In 2013 SDi acquired I-sys Corp and X7 Systems.