Echelon Risk + Cyber is proud to announce the promotion of Paul Interval to Partner, marking a significant milestone for the firm and its continued investment in scalable cybersecurity leadership built around client needs. 

Paul becomes the first Partner promoted from within Echelon, reflecting both the firm's growth and the strategic impact of its virtual CISO (vCISO) and managed security services practice over the past several years. Since joining the firm, Paul has played a central role in building and scaling the vCISO offering, evolving it from a traditional advisory service into a team-based, execution-driven practice designed to meet the realities facing modern organizations. 
 
Identifying the Execution Gap 

Paul entered Echelon with more than two decades of experience across advisory, managed services, and cybersecurity leadership roles. Having previously helped build vCISO programs from the ground up, he recognized both the value of the model and its common limitations. 

While strategic guidance is critical, Paul observed that many organizations lack the internal resources to implement it. Under his leadership, Echelon’s vCISO practice was designed to close this gap by pairing executive-level leadership with hands-on engineering, risk, and compliance expertise. 

"A virtual CISO provides high-level strategy and guidance, which is extremely valuable. But the more clients I worked with, I realized that many companies don't have enough resources, expertise, or horsepower on their internal teams to execute on the cybersecurity strategy and roadmaps that the vCISO puts together," Paul explained. "There was this whole area around execution and continuous management that wasn’t addressed." 

Building a Team-Based Model  
 
This realization led to a shift away from the 'single point of failure' often found in traditional vCISO models, where all knowledge resides with one person. By creating a collaborative environment, Echelon increases continuity and allows clients to scale their security programs with confidence. Central to this success is Echelon’s People First philosophy. "We constantly say this, and we truly believe it: we’re people first, technology second," Paul said. "If we care about our people and we have a very talented, diverse, and strong team, all of that shows through to our clients. We are there, not to be an outsourced vendor, but a true part of their team." 

Scalable Excellence and Growth  
 
From the outset, Paul worked closely with Echelon leadership to design a practice built for long-term growth. Rather than relying on rigid service packages, the vCISO offering was structured to be both repeatable and adaptable, enabling consistent delivery while remaining flexible to each client’s industry, risk profile, and stage of maturity.  
 
This approach has enabled the practice to scale in line with client needs, supporting both retention and expansion. Today, many long-standing clients engage Echelon across multiple services, reflecting the strength of those partnerships and the trust built through sustained collaboration. 
 
A Historic Milestone 

For Paul, this promotion is the culmination of a goal he set when he first joined the firm. He hopes his journey serves as an inspiration for other high performers within the organization. 

"It’s an amazing feeling. I’m definitely humbled and honored to have this opportunity," Paul shared. "I came into the company with this goal in mind from day one. I would encourage anyone, if you are passionate enough and willing to do the hard work, you have to take the chance and give yourself the opportunity. I truly think anyone here that desires it and wants to move up to this level can do it." 

Looking ahead, Paul remains focused on maintaining the white-glove, tailored service that has become Echelon’s hallmark. "If we continue to maintain what we've been doing so far, we'll be extremely successful and continue to grow at a fast pace," he concluded.