Searchlight Cyber appoints Michael Gianarakis as CEO

Searchlight Cyber has appointed Michael Gianarakis as Chief Executive Officer. Co-founder Ben Jones is stepping back from day-to-day management but will remain on the board as a strategic adviser and shareholder.

Gianarakis spent the past year as Chief Product Officer at the UK-based cyber security firm. He joined after Searchlight acquired attack surface management specialist Assetnote in January 2025, where he was co-founder and Chief Executive.

Jones has led Searchlight since founding the business in 2017. He will continue to support the company in a non-executive capacity, retaining a board seat and equity stake.

Leadership change

The appointment puts a product-focused executive at the top of the company as Searchlight positions itself for its next stage of expansion. Gianarakis has helped shape Searchlight's product direction since taking the Chief Product Officer role.

Searchlight describes Gianarakis as a leading voice in Preemptive Threat Exposure Management (PTEM), which combines external threat intelligence with security posture and risk prioritisation. The company markets its platform as a way to identify exposures and address threats before an attack occurs.

Searchlight's platform combines attack surface management, dark web intelligence and risk management. It sells to large enterprises, government and law enforcement bodies, and managed security service providers.

Eterna Growth Partners, a North American private equity firm, has been an investor since early 2024. Dhruva Kaul, a Managing Director and board member at Eterna, said the transition builds on the company's progress since that investment.

"We're thrilled to partner with Michael as he steps into the CEO role," Kaul said. "He brings significant industry expertise, long-standing leadership experience and clarity of vision, and has made significant contributions to date as Chief Product Officer. Since our investment in early 2024, Searchlight has made tremendous progress, and we're excited to continue that trajectory with Michael at the helm."

Product strategy

As CEO, Gianarakis will oversee operations and the product roadmap at a time when many security teams face a growing volume of external threats and alerts. Searchlight aims to reduce noise and focus attention on the most important risks.

Gianarakis tied his move to the CEO role to recent work across product development and customer delivery. He said the next priorities include strengthening products and increasing customer value.

"When we decided to join forces with Searchlight last year, we knew we could build something truly special - a platform with highly differentiated products, deep technical capability, and a team that delivers real security outcomes. Over the past year, I've seen that momentum up close, and I'm excited to lead the next phase of growth. Our focus now is simple - keep strengthening our products, increase the value we deliver to our customers and help organizations make more confident security decisions," Gianarakis said.

Founder role

Jones said the company has grown significantly in recent years and described the change as the start of a new phase. He said Gianarakis is the right executive to lead that stage, while he remains involved at board level.

"Leading Searchlight has been the privilege of my career. We've grown significantly in recent years and built a company with real momentum on a strong foundation. This is the right moment for a new chapter, and Michael has the right skills and experience to lead Searchlight through its next growth stage. I'm looking forward to supporting Michael as a strategic advisor and continued board member as we keep building on the progress we've made," Jones said.

The move follows a period of consolidation in cyber security, as platform providers seek broader coverage across threat intelligence, exposure management and continuous monitoring. Acquisitions such as Searchlight's purchase of Assetnote have been one route for firms to add new functions and specialist expertise.

Eterna Growth Partners specialises in investments across application software, cloud computing, cybersecurity, financial technology, healthcare IT, and infrastructure software. Focusing on middle-market technology businesses, the firm prioritises establishing long-term partnerships with management teams. In a strategic leadership transition, Gianarakis has been appointed to lead Searchlight through its next phase of growth, while Jones will remain involved as a strategic adviser and board member.