IANS Research Appoints Emily Sweeney as Chief People Officer to Support Rapid Company Growth

Seasoned Executive Brings People Strategy and Operational Expertise to Leading Cybersecurity Research and Advisory Firm

Boston, MA – July 14, 2025 – IANS is excited to announce the appointment of Emily Sweeney to Chief People Officer. Sweeney joins IANS from Cengage Group, where she served as a Vice President of HR Strategy. In that role, she partnered closely with the Chief People Officer and executive leadership to drive enterprise-wide initiatives across HR Operations, performance management, leadership development, and people analytics.

Prior to that, she spent seven years at Boston Consulting Group, advising clients on organizational design and culture transformation. Sweeney has an MBA from Wharton and a BA from Holy Cross. 

At IANS, Sweeney will lead all aspects of the People function with a goal of building a scalable, high-impact people strategy, ensuring IANS continues to attract and retain top talent as it grows to meet the evolving needs of the cybersecurity community.

“I am excited to welcome Emily to the IANS leadership team and look forward to the tremendous contributions she’ll make” stated Phil Gardner, Founder and CEO of IANS. “Emily is the perfect leader to deepen our leadership capabilities, foster an inclusive and high-performing culture and continue to attract and develop great people.”

“In a field as dynamic and critical as cybersecurity, our ability to attract and empower exceptional talent is core to delivering on our mission” stated Sweeney. “I’m excited to join a team that shares a deep commitment to both its people and its clients—and I look forward to shaping a people strategy that supports IANS’ growth and impact in the years to come.”