Avast Appoints Shane Ryan of the UK's The National Lottery Community Fund to lead Avast Foundation
Avast has appointed Shane Ryan as the Global Executive Director of the newly formed Avast Foundation, aimed at enhancing digital safety and inclusivity. The Foundation, established in December 2020, focuses on empowering the next generation of digital citizens through community-driven initiatives. Ryan brings over 25 years of experience, previously served at the National Lottery Community Fund, and has a strong background in youth engagement and social programs. CEO Ondrej Vlcek emphasized the importance of this role for advancing Avast's social initiatives.
- Shane Ryan's extensive experience in community engagement could strengthen Avast's social initiatives.
- The Avast Foundation aims to empower the next generation of confident digital citizens.
- None.
PRAGUE, Feb. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Avast (LSE:AVST), a global leader in digital security and privacy products, today announced the appointment of Shane Ryan as Global Executive Director of the newly established Avast Foundation. The social impact organization was established by Avast in December 2020 and will align closely with the company's purpose of securing people's digital lives by driving programs focused on online safety, trust and freedom, inclusivity, transparency and working with youth.
Ryan joins from The National Lottery Community Fund, the UK's largest funder of community activity, where he held the role of Deputy Director and was responsible for oversight of a number of strategic national funding programs including the design of their partnerships funding mechanisms and associated policy. He was also a multi award winning former CEO with Future Men, a solution-based organization which provides evidence-based approaches to community needs and issues around conflict and transition, paternal development, masculinity, and youth unemployment.
Ondrej Vlcek, CEO, Avast, said of the appointment, "When Avast was founded over 30 years ago in former Czechoslovakia, our commitment to freedom, democracy and equitability in all that we do was embedded into our company culture. As such, we have always been a keen contributor to supporting social initiatives where our expertise can have positive impact and Shane joins our new Foundation at a critical time. We believe technology has the power to change the world for the better - our original foundation supported a number of NGO-led and charitable projects; and as a company, we donated
Shane Ryan said, "I have worked with some incredible colleagues and organisations during my time at the National Lottery and I am now looking forward to working with Ondrej and the rest of the Avast leadership team as I take the helm at this exciting new Foundation. We have the appetite, platform and an opportunity to drive fairness, equity and freedom within the digital space. We will listen first, with a view to shaping an agenda set by the communities we serve worldwide."
Ryan has spent over 25 years working with young people and continues to be a regular advisor and speaker on non-profit matters across his range of charitable engagements in the U.K. His experience includes managing the U.K.'s first mobile health care facilities for the National Health Service (NHS) to tackling drug use in inner city areas and overseas experience in the U.S. and Japan on voluntary sector projects.
He also founded The Father's Development Foundation, a hub providing practice-led, community-focused research and evaluation on fathers' development for use by parents, practitioners and policy makers, and continues to be active in its work. In his spare time, he is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has published two research reports: 'Collaborative parenting: Barriers faced by separated fathers' for the U.K.'s government Department of Work and Pensions (co-authored); and 'A Father's Development Programme' for the Working with Men organisation.
The former Avast Foundation, Prague-based 'Nadační fond Avast', is in the process of transitioning into a new family-run foundation, Abakus, established by the Avast founders Pavel Baudis and Eduard Kucera, which will focus on important social issues in the Czech Republic and continue the existing local programs established through Avast over the last ten years.
About Avast:
Avast (LSE:AVST), a FTSE 100 company, is a global leader in digital security and privacy products. With over 435 million users online, Avast offers products under the Avast and AVG brands that protect people from threats on the internet and the evolving IoT threat landscape. The company's threat detection network is among the most advanced in the world, using machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to detect and stop threats in real time. Avast digital security products for Mobile, PC or Mac are top-ranked and certified by VB100, AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, SE Labs and others. Avast is a member of Coalition Against Stalkerware, No More Ransom and Internet Watch Foundation. Visit: www.avast.com.
About the Avast Foundation:
The Avast Foundation's mission is to protect the digital lives and freedom of people online by creating opportunities for positive change, both directly, and through engagement with partner organizations globally. Learn more and follow the Avast Foundation at: foundation.avast.com.
Keep in touch with Avast:
- Follow us on Twitter: @Avast_antivirus
- For security and privacy insights, visit the Avast blog: https://blog.avast.com/
- Join our LinkedIn community: https://www.linkedin.com/avast
- Visit our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/avast
Media contact:
pr@avast.com
View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/avast-appoints-shane-ryan-of-the-uks-the-national-lottery-community-fund-to-lead-avast-foundation-301235357.html
SOURCE Avast
FAQ
Who is Shane Ryan and what will he do at Avast Foundation?
What is the mission of the Avast Foundation?
When was the Avast Foundation established?
