Tony Scott signs on with law and lobby firm

Former Federal CIO Tony Scott has a new home after leaving the public sector in January. Scott will be heading to law firm Squire Patton Boggs, where he will serve as senior data privacy and cybersecurity advisor.

In a press release announcing the move, Robin Campbell, co-chair of the firm’s global Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice, said the firm was drawn to Scott’s experience overseeing security issues in both the private and public sector.

"[Scott's] insight into the data protection and cybersecurity policy landscape from his time as the Government’s CIO and private sector will be of substantial benefit to our clients, as will his on-the-ground experience spanning many different sectors," Campbell said.

Scott was appointed the government’s IT chief in February 2015 under then-President Barack Obama, who made cybersecurity and IT modernization a major focus of his tenure. Just months after taking office, Scott faced his first major security crisis when it was revealed that hackers had infiltrated the Office of Personnel Management’s local-area network in 2014, stealing millions of personnel and background investigation records of federal employees and their families. 

Scott followed that revelation with a comprehensive 30-day security sprint to patch vulnerabilities, catalog high-value data and equipment and prioritize multifactor authentication procedures across federal agencies. The breach eventually led the Obama administration to develop a national plan to overhaul the federal government’s cybersecurity infrastructure and standards.

Squire Patton Boggs was ranked as the third-largest U.S. lobbying firm in 2017 by Law360. The firm counts major technology contractors among its clients and took in more than $80 million in lobbying revenue since 2014, including $11.8 million so far this year.

"Tony Scott fits what they like to do," said Mike Hettinger, a former congressional staffer who worked at Patton Boggs and who now lobbies on behalf of government contractors from his own firm. "He's got domain expertise that will help clients trying to navigate the federal market." 

Scott was named as one of FCW's Federal 100 winners in 2017. He also received the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council's 2016 Leadership Award.