Power Moves: Mack McGee joins CareFirst as VP and CMO

Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, new gig or promotion? Tell us: baltimore@technical.ly.

---

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield said this week that it appointed Mack McGee as VP and chief marketing officer.

McGee was tapped for the role at the health insurance provider serving 3.3 million people in the region after a nationwide search. In the role heading up marketing, he will oversee communications, public relations and customer experience.

“Mack is an enthusiastic, dynamic marketing executive who has proven his ability to leverage brand, marketing programs and communications to drive business growth and sustain success,” said Maria Harris Tildon, CareFirst’s EVP of marketing and government affairs. “Mack has a deep understanding of CareFirst’s vision for the future and with his leadership, I am confident that we will expand and enhance our efforts to grow our business and improve customer experience for all of our stakeholders.”

McGee brings experience not only in marketing, but in the region. Before joining CareFirst on July 13, McGee spent three years in a similar role at Sparks-based management consulting and accounting firm SC&H Group. He also previously worked as EVP and principal at Baltimore-based marketing, design and dev agency Groove Commerce.

The University of Maryland College Park alum is also a nine-year board vice chair at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and a board member at Special Olympics Maryland.

###

Baltimore social side hustle app knctrr said a cofounder of a Northern Virginia-based digital roadside assistance company is joining its board.

Surendra Goel, who is chairman and CTO of Urgent.ly, is joining knctrr as a board advisor and equity holder.

“I’m thrilled to be working with such a capable team of likeminded individuals who truly see the bigger picture when it comes to locality, ease, and accessibility for creative and freelance services,” said Goel, who also held executive roles at Comcast and AOL, in a statement. “I am looking to guide the knctrr team to realize their vision of creating a totally frictionless experience for small businesses to hire other small businesses.”

ETC-based knctrr connects local creatives with freelance gigs at small businesses that are seeking services. The company, which was among our top 20 to watch on the RealLIST Startups 2020, also recently released the initial version of its web platform.

###

On the blog from Baltimore-based ecommerce tech company Whitebox, we spotted that Christina Fontana was promoted to the role of VP of customer success.

Fontana joined Whitebox last fall after a decade of experience in the tech and marketing industry. Now she will lead the team that ensures clients get the full benefit of the company’s platform, which includes building ecommerce strategy, fulfillment and marketing.

“I am thrilled to be leading the Whitebox Customer Success team,” Fontana said in a statement. “The opportunity for growth is obvious, given the continued consumer choice of all things ecommerce and the need for insights and data to improve processes and provide information so that brands can better understand their customers.”

The company told the Baltimore Business Journal in a story published this week that it recently raised $2 million in new funding from existing and investors and continues to see significant growth both in clients it is bringing on and among the team. It has job openings across roles, including a couple of JS developer roles.

###

Fearless COO John Foster was appointed to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council.

NSBA is an advocacy org with a membership that includes 65,000 small businesses. The D.C.-based council works with small business advocates around the country to talk about priorities with federal policymakers.

“I am honored to be part of the NSBA Leadership Council and for the opportunity to advocate on behalf of other small businesses. The Council does important work to address critical issues facing small business including tax reform, regulatory restraint, and health care costs,” Foster said in a statement.

Fearless, the downtown Baltimore-based digital services firm, has played a role in developing tech for small businesses through work with the U.S. Small Business Administration, including recent work on a portal for banks offering loans from the Paycheck Protection Program.

###

Finally, we’re breaking the mold of Power Moves just a tad for an item entirely about companies, as we thought this global recognition was worth noting: In June, a trio of local cybersecurity companies were named to the World Economic Forum’s list of “technology pioneers.”

From Baltimore, this includes Federal Hill-based ZeroFOX, which focuses on securing social media and digital channels. It comes as the company is also hiring for a globally minded role.

ZeroFOX is currently looking for a Director of Global Marketing and Demand Generation. If you are interested in this position, visit https://t.co/HtHmVGzEAM for more information or email careers@zerofox.com #Careers #NowHiring #JobOpening #JobSearch pic.twitter.com/3jGPQEqiD2

— ZeroFox (@ZeroFox) July 13, 2020

A pair of companies that came through the Fulton-based cyber foundry DataTribe also got recognition, including:

• Hanover-based Dragos, which focuses on securing industrial control systems.
• Fulton-based Enveil, which is bringing technology developed inside the NSA to protect data while it’s in use to the commercial market.

It seems to bolster the case that locals often make about Maryland being a center of important work in cyber. As DataTribe Chief Customer Officer Maurice Bossiere pointed out, half of the cybersecurity honorees on the list are from Maryland.

Half of @wef's #cybersecurity honorees are #Maryland companies: @DragosInc, @enveil_inc and @ZeroFOX. WEF scours the globe to bring together 100 pioneers across 18 categories. Every startup on the planet. #CyberWorksHere.https://t.co/6XZWdDa46f

— Maurice X Boissiere (@coachmaux) July 8, 2020

Check out the full list of 100 companies.