5 Questions with the CEO

Tom Noonan is a founding partner of TechOperators LLC, an early-stage technology investment firm inAtlanta. Noonan is also Chairman of TEN Holdings, LLC, a diversified family office investment company.Most recently, he was the General Manager of the Energy Management business of Cisco Systems,following the acquisition of his company JouleX in 2013, where he was co-founder and CEO. A serialentrepreneur, Noonan also co-founded Endgame Security which was acquired by Elastic N.V. in 2019.He is also the former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Internet Security Systems, Inc.,which was acquired by IBM for $1.8B in 2006.Prior to co-founding ISS, Noonan held senior management positions at Dun and Bradstreet Software,where he was vice president, worldwide marketing. He began his career as a product manager andengineer for Rockwell Automation, specializing in real-time, automated control systems for computer-integrated manufacturing. Noonan founded two successful technology companies while residing inBoston: Actuation Electronics, a precision motion-control company and Leapfrog Technologies, asoftware development company designed for networked control system applications.Noonan’s management style and vision have been widely recognized by industry-leading publicationsincluding Forbes, Business Week and Fortune. In 1999, Ernst and Young recognized him as“Entrepreneur of the Year.” In 2002, President Bush appointed Noonan to serve on the NationalInfrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), a White House homeland defense initiative that protectsinformation systems critical to the nation's infrastructure, where he served under President Obama andPresident Trump.Noonan holds a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a business degree from HarvardUniversity. He was elected to the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame in 2006. He is a frequent speaker atleading industry events and serves on numerous company, industry and civic boards includingIntercontinental Exchange (ICE/NYSE), Manhattan Associates (NASDAQ: MANH), Bakkt, Inc., SalesLoft,Automox, Grayshift, Caveonix and Polarity. Noonan also serves on committees and/or boards ofChildren’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Tech Foundation, and the Georgia Tech AthleticAssociation. He is an active technology investor and is a leading philanthropist through the work of theThomas Noonan Family Foundation that supports education, environmental and healthcare causeslocally and nationally.

In Episode 17 of “5 Questions with the CEO,” General Joe Votel USA (Ret.) talks with BENS memberAlbert Tan, who takes us on a journey that began when at 11 years old he and his family departedTaiwan bound for the United States. Albert’s parents travelled to the U.S. seeking the American dreamof a life filled with limitless opportunities for their children. Don’t miss Tan and Votel talk about risingtensions between China and Taiwan, the importance of a stable financial system, giving back whenblessed with great success, and the journey of a young boy who rose to achieve his parent’s dream.

In episode 16 of 5 Questions with the CEO, General Joe Votel talks with BENS member Brendan Marshall, CEO of Flow. Brendan is a serial entrepreneur and amongst his many achievements he has been named Forbes “30 Under 30.” In this 20-minute conversation they cover a lot of ground! The two talk business but they also dive deep into meaty topics such as embracing fear and courage when starting something new. What happens when you lose a leader in your organization how one honors their legacy while also moving forward with the mission – as Brendan was forced to do when his co-founder died suddenly and as General Votel has experienced in the military. They explore what it took for Brendan to shift his business interest from marketing direct to consumers to empowering entrepreneurs as they navigate the private markets to invest in their ideas. And why it is important to create an integrated balance in and outside of work. As always, our member shares with us why he believes national security is everyone's business.