Zerofox founder James C. Foster becomes CEO of eSentire

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) specialists eSentire has appointed James C. Foster as CEO.

Foster assumes the role from Kerry Bailey, who is retiring after leading the company through a period of sustained growth.

Foster is the founder and former chairman and CEO of ZeroFox where he built and took public the external cybersecurity platform. During his tenure, ZeroFox achieved more than 30 consecutive quarters of ARR growth, expanded across four continents, completed five acquisitions, and grew into a multi-hundred-million-dollar global enterprise.

Earlier in his career, Foster founded cybersecurity company Ciphent, which served more than 1,000 enterprise customers including 43 of the Fortune 100 before merging with Accuvant (now Optiv). He subsequently helped scale Accuvant’s platform during a period of growth that drove the business toward $500 million in annual revenue.

His career also includes roles scaling companies as an operating partner at NightDragon, a  cybersecurity venture capital and growth firm, as well as at Guardent (acquired by VeriSign), Foundstone (acquired by McAfee) and IronCircle (acquired by QuickStart), in addition to his service in supporting U.S. national security at the Department of Defense.

“eSentire has built something truly exceptional — a 25-year track record of growth and protecting many of the world’s most targeted organisations, a world-class team of threat hunters and security analysts, and an AI-powered platform in Atlas that is unmatched in the MDR space,” said Foster.

“The threat landscape is evolving faster than ever, and organizations need a cybersecurity partner who can meet that pace with both agentic and human expertise. I am honored to work alongside this outstanding team and ensure that eSentire is delivering on our mission: hunting, investigating, and stopping cyber threats before they become business-disrupting events.”

“It has been an incredible privilege to lead eSentire through a period of tremendous growth, and I could not be more confident in the future of this company,” said Kerry Bailey, outgoing eSentire CEO.

“Foster brings exceptional vision, deep industry expertise, and a proven track record of building world-class security organizations. eSentire has never been better positioned — with the team, the technology, and the mission to redefine what Managed Detection and Response means for organizations around the world.

"I have every confidence that under Foster's leadership, eSentire will continue to raise the bar for our customers, our partners, and the industry as a whole. I'm proud of what we have built together, and I'm excited to watch what comes next." 

In 2022, eSentire appointed Mert Mustafa as its new channel leader for ANZ; he has since become regional GM of APAC sales and partner ecosystem.

Founded in 2001, eSentire protects the critical data and applications of more than 2,000 organizations in over 80 countries across 35 industries. The company’s AI-powered Atlas Security Operations Platform combines multi-agent AI, 24/7 threat hunting and security operations.