Max Shier
Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer, Amentum
Max Shier’s biggest recent achievement was leaning forward after joining Amentum and helping the company get its CMMC certification this year.
“It was a monumental, cross-functional team effort. I’m proud of how the whole company came together to make it happen,” he said.
In terms of aligning with the current administration’s priorities to reduce cost, streamline operations and improve government efficiency, Shier said Amentum is always trying to find efficiencies in what it does, whether internally or for those directly supporting government programs.
In cyber, Shier and his team worked to consolidate tooling to reduce redundancies in capabilities and cost, while increasing use of existing tools to better leverage the vendors and licenses Amentum already has.
They also worked across the business to enable new AI functionalities and capabilities to identify efficiencies, while still meeting the regulatory requirements driven by different customers.
Why Watch
In 2026, Shier and his team are heavily focused on AI implementation and how it changes how the company approaches security.
“I’m sure this is a recurring theme with all CISOs,” Shier said. “AI can present risks for cybersecurity, making it easier for bad actors to do bad things. But conversely, it has helped be a force multiplier for cyber and is helping to counteract bad actors with speed to detection and remediation.”
Fun fact: Shier is an avid Ironman triathlete. He loves taking “racecations” to different parts of the country and world to participate in events.