At ReputationDefender I serve as Managing Director with responsibility for P&amp;L ownership, global sales, operations, marketing, product, and go to market strategy. Our work centers on protecting leaders in high visibility roles who face real reputational and privacy risk. For many of our clients, trust and discretion are not optional. They are the entire mandate.My focus at ReputationDefender is centered on three priorities that define how we operate:1. Protecting clients who face constant public scrutiny and need a trusted partner when the pressure is highest2. Advancing a product suite that keeps pace with the speed of digital risk and the complexity of modern search, social, AI, and underground data exposure3. Building a scalable commercial and operational model that delivers a consistent and high touch client experience across executives, board directors, family offices, and public figuresAlongside this mission I run the business. I unify GTM, product, operations, marketing, and forecasting into one operating system built for predictable growth. I drive clarity and accountability across the organization. I develop leaders who can support turnaround environments. And I install the discipline and inspection rhythm required for sustained performance.My background spans Fortune 250 companies, PE backed transformations, and technology organizations where execution matters. I have led teams of more than two thousand employees. I have built large scale outbound engines responsible for significant new revenue growth. I have rebuilt commercial and operational systems inside digital marketplaces and BPO environments. I have strengthened partnerships with law firms, financial institutions, and governance leaders who rely on us to manage digital visibility, misinformation, and privacy exposure.A few experiences that shape how I operate today:• Graduate of the Stanford Executive Program with a focus on global leadership• Participant in the FBI Citizens Academy with emphasis on cybersecurity and digital risk• Leader of multiple large scale turnarounds across public, private, and PE owned companies• Advisor to executives navigating complex visibility and reputation challengesWhether I am guiding a client through a sensitive visibility issue or leading a commercial transformation, my approach stays consistent. Clear strategy. Strong execution. The right people in the right roles.If you are navigating digital visibility, reputational risk, or broader commercial challenges, I am always open to connecting.

Chad Angle

Reputation risk rarely shows up as a single event.

It accumulates quietly through search results, exposed data, and outdated narratives long before anyone labels it a crisis.

I shared some perspective on why reputation is fundamentally an exposure problem, not a perception problem, and why privacy is now inseparable from leadership risk.

Full piece here:

Managing Director at ReputationDefender | GTM & Revenue Transformation Leader | Executive Privacy & Digital Risk Expert

Open article: Navigating Online Reputation Management and Digital Privacy in the Modern Era by ceotimes.com

Navigating online reputation management and digital privacy in the modern era

Navigating Online Reputation Management and Digital Privacy in the Modern Era

The FBI Phoenix Citizens Academy was one of the most eye-opening programs I’ve participated in. It reinforced how much of the work that keeps communities safe happens quietly, thoughtfully, and with real accountability.

If you’re curious about public service, leadership under pressure, or how federal law enforcement actually operates behind the scenes, I’d strongly recommend applying.

Deadline is approaching and spots are limited.

Registration is now open for the FBI Phoenix Citizens Academy, with classes available in both Phoenix and Tucson! Ever wanted to ask the FBI those tough questions - or see behind the scenes of how the FBI Phoenix Division works to keep your community safe? Watch the video below to hear about Chad Angle's experience in last fall's class.   

Deadline to apply is January 23, 2026.
 
To learn more about the program, visit: https://lnkd.in/gu7rkJPg

For a direct link to the application: https://lnkd.in/gATGAAUt

Most companies don’t think about defamation until it’s already costing them money, credibility, or leadership focus.

That’s a mistake.

Online defamation today moves faster than legal review, PR approvals, or internal escalation paths. AI has only accelerated the problem.

I just published a new piece in Forbes on how smart companies are preparing before the first false claim ever appears.

This isn’t about crisis PR.
It’s about treating defamation as a strategic risk, the same way leaders think about cyber, regulatory, or operational exposure.

If you’re a CEO, board member, or GC, this is the framework you want in place before you’re tested.

#ExecutiveLeadership #BoardGovernance #ReputationRisk #DigitalRisk

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The common thread across all of these wasn’t the mistake. It was the response speed.

ReputationDefender by Norton 

Gen™ 

social-www.forbes.com

How Smart Companies Prepare For Online Defamation Before It Happens

Forbes

I once watched a team scramble to fix a rumor that started with one wrong line in an email.

It spread faster than their correction did.
Not because it was true, but because it was easy to believe.

That day I learned that facts don’t defend themselves — people do.
When trust gets tested, communication becomes leadership.

💭 Protecting your reputation starts with how you show up when people doubt you most.

2025 didn’t just “happen.” It left receipts.

Before we head into 2026, here are 10 business realities that defined 2025 and will keep shaping decisions next year, with real-world context behind them:

1. Banks stopped betting on growth and started betting on trust
Large financial institutions redirected investment toward advisor oversight, digital footprint monitoring, and reputational risk controls after realizing a single advisor issue could ripple across thousands of client relationships.

2. AI didn’t transform service. It exposed it.
Companies deployed AI into customer service and operations, only to discover that unclear ownership and broken handoffs created more friction than efficiency.

3. Tariffs quietly reshaped supply chains again
Procurement and finance teams were forced to reprice contracts or absorb margin hits as tariff adjustments surfaced late in the cycle. Nearshoring and supplier redundancy returned to board conversations.

4. Boards became materially more risk-aware
Reputation, cyber exposure, and executive visibility moved from discussion topics to standing agenda items tied directly to valuation, deal velocity, and trust.

5. Customer expectations reset upward, permanently
AI-trained customers expected faster responses, cleaner digital experiences, and fewer excuses. Churn increased even when product quality did not change.

6. Marketing efficiency mattered more than marketing volume
Volume-first strategies broke forecasting and sales trust. Several organizations quietly rolled them back mid-year.

7. Executives became the brand whether they wanted to or not
Search results, AI summaries, and social visibility increasingly influenced enterprise buying decisions and partner diligence.

8. Regulatory scrutiny didn’t slow innovation. It redirected it
Firms that embedded compliance into product and go-to-market workflows moved faster than those trying to bolt it on after launch.

9. “Transformation” fatigue became real
Teams stopped responding to vision decks and started responding to execution clarity. Fewer initiatives. Clear owners. Measurable outcomes.

10. Reputation proved it is no longer a soft metric
In 2025, reputation directly affected sales cycles, hiring outcomes, and board confidence. It became a performance variable.

Going into 2026, the question isn’t what’s next.

It’s which of these realities you’re designing for instead of reacting to.

I keep a close eye on real movers in the reputation and First Amendment space.

This is one of those moves worth paying attention to.

When experienced operators choose a platform like this to build nationally, it usually signals where the market is headed, not just where it’s been.

I am thrilled to announce that I have joined the partnership of Hilgers PLLC's Dallas office, led by the inestimable Grant Schmidt.  I am building a First Amendment / reputation defense practice in Dallas with nationwide reach, and Hilgers has the perfect blend of expertise, vision, and culture to do so. The Dallas office also maintains robust, Chambers-ranked litigation and SEC practices, and I am looking forward to lending my expertise to those groups as well!

Grant and the whole team in Dallas have made me feel immediately at home, and I am so excited for the future!

Feedback like this matters.

Reputation issues are rarely just technical problems. They’re personal, stressful, and often time-sensitive. Our responsibility is to slow things down enough to ask the right questions, understand the full picture, and act with precision.

Proud of the team for how they approach this work every day.

View company: Reputation Defender by Norton

You can depend on us to help defend your reputation, Alan.

When Reputation Strategy Meets the Courtroom

Defamation isn’t only about what was said. It’s about where it lives.

We worked on a case where false claims had already reached page one. Legal action could take months, but search results move in minutes.

That is why reputation work belongs inside litigation strategy. Lawyers manage filings. Reputation teams manage visibility. Both matter when public opinion forms before the verdict.

Every modern defamation case now has a digital front line.

#Defamation #ReputationManagement #LegalStrategy

Honored to be included in Forbes Business Council’s latest piece on brand discoverability in a zero-click world.

The big shift is simple
Visibility is no longer about rankings or traffic.
It’s about whether AI systems trust your brand enough to name you as the answer.

This article brings together leaders across marketing, PR, SEO, and security to outline what actually works when clicks disappear.

A few perspectives worth calling out:
🔍 Cindy Machles at Glue Advertising and Public Relations nails the importance of unifying PR, SEO, and marketing into a single, consistent brand signal. AI reads coherence before creativity.
🎯 Sahil Gandhi at Blushush makes the case for owning one sharp problem and repeating it relentlessly. If your positioning sounds fuzzy to a human, it disappears to AI.
📌 Omar Alofi at Seven Circles Technology reframes the goal entirely. Stop chasing rankings and start becoming the definitive source AI pulls from. 

If you’re a CEO, CMO, founder, or board member trying to understand why your brand feels harder to find, this is worth a read.

#BrandStrategy #AI #DigitalVisibility #ExecutiveLeadership #ReputationManagement #MarketingStrategy #BoardGovernance

How To Optimize For Brand Discoverability In A Zero-Click World

Board Member/Top 100 Innovator and Entrepreneur/Who’s Who Honoree/Forbes Council

Glue Advertising and Public Relations

Brand Strategist | Helping SMEs, Entrepreneurs, and Startups Craft Clear, Actionable Strategies

Shoulder Surgeon | CEO | Serial Entrepreneur | Digital Health Innovator | Healthcare Transformation | Forbes Business Council Member | Social Media Voice

Most business risks don’t show up as crises.

They show up as small signals everyone notices but no one owns.

Reputation damage usually starts there.

Quiet.
Preventable.
Ignored.

Every year has moments that quietly change the rules.

2025 had more than most.

Not because people made bigger mistakes.

But because the systems that amplify those mistakes got faster, louder, and harder to reverse.

J.P. Morgan cutting proxy advisors isn’t about “AI replacing humans.”
It’s about reclaiming accountability.

JPMorganChase just made a consequential move: walking away from external proxy advisors and replacing them with an internal AI platform, Proxy IQ, to guide shareholder voting across thousands of companies.

This wasn’t sudden. Jamie Dimon has been publicly critical of proxy advisors for years, arguing that standardized frameworks and outsourced judgment distort real stewardship.

From where I sit working with banks, wealth platforms, and advisors, three things matter here.

First, this is a governance decision, not a cost decision. Proxy firms like Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis didn’t just provide research. They quietly shaped outcomes. JPM is saying that if it’s going to vote trillions of dollars on behalf of clients, the logic, trade-offs, and accountability should live inside the institution.

Second, AI didn’t remove risk. It relocated it. An external advisor spreads liability. An internal system concentrates it. That’s a deliberate choice. JPM is betting it can govern its models, oversight, escalation paths, and exceptions better than it can govern third parties. That’s confidence, not recklessness.

Third, this is where financial institutions are heading whether they admit it or not. Banks already use AI for credit, fraud, surveillance, and suitability. Governance was simply one of the last “sacred” human domains. That line just moved.

The real question isn’t whether AI will make mistakes. It will.

The question boards and regulators should be asking is this:
Who owns the decision, who can explain it, and who is accountable when it’s wrong?

On that axis, JPM’s move is actually clearer than the old model.

This won’t be the last large institution to do this. But it will be the one everyone watches.

wsj.com

Exclusive | JPMorgan Cuts All Ties With Proxy Advisers in Industry First

J.P. Morgan

JPMorganChase

Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The Price of Visibility

The internet rewards visibility.
It rarely forgives it.

Every post, every interview, every public comment adds to your digital identity.
For leaders, that visibility builds credibility — until it doesn’t.

The challenge isn’t being seen.
It’s being seen correctly.

Here’s what I tell executives every week:
✅ Own your narrative before someone else shapes it
✅ Update your online presence regularly
✅ Keep personal and professional boundaries clear

Reputation management isn’t about hiding.
It’s about managing exposure with intention.

You don’t need less visibility.
You need smarter visibility.

#ReputationManagement #ExecutiveBrand #Leadership

The reputational issues that escalate fastest are rarely the ones people plan for.

They’re the ones everyone assumed “would never happen.”

Harvard Business School just made teamwork uncomfortable ⚠️
One of the oldest assumptions in organizational design is breaking.

AI now handles much of what teams were built to do: integrate expertise and reduce uncertainty.

That forces a different board-level question.
Not: How do we use AI to make teams more productive?
But: Which work still deserves a team at all?

Speed and leverage benefit from fewer handoffs and AI-enabled individuals.

Breakthrough innovation still requires human tension, debate, and judgment under ambiguity.

Trying to optimize for both everywhere is the mistake.

Thoughtful, well-framed recap by David Kochanek on what this really means for boards and organizational design.

#BoardGovernance #OrganizationalDesign #Leadership #ArtificialIntelligence

https://lnkd.in/gXT3dQxi

David Kochanek

AI Is Quietly Redefining Teamwork. Boards Need to Pay Attention.

Harvard Business School

Personal Branding & Thought Leadership Strategy for Executives

Every PR Crisis Starts with Silence

The first mistake most companies make in a crisis isn’t what they say.
It’s what they don’t say.

The first 12 hours define the narrative.
The public rarely remembers the trigger. They remember the tone, the speed, and whether leadership looked in control.

Here’s the playbook that works:
✅ Acknowledge quickly
✅ Clarify facts you know
✅ Commit to updates as you learn
✅ Speak with one voice, not ten

In reputation management, silence doesn’t buy you time. It sells your credibility.

#CrisisManagement #PRStrategy #Reputation

2025’s Top 10 Reputation Moments
(That every executive should have studied)

2025 was a masterclass in how reputation actually works now.

Not in theory.
In real time.
With consequences.

Here are 10 reputation moments from 2025 that quietly rewired how trust, visibility, and risk operate, whether leaders noticed or not:

1. The Coldplay concert clip
One fan video from a stadium seat shaped public narrative faster than any corporate statement could. By the time responses came out, context was already set. Speed, not polish, determined the outcome.

2. AI summaries became the first impression
Executives learned that people no longer “Google you.” They ask AI to summarize you. And those summaries often pulled from outdated articles, old controversies, or incomplete context even when search results looked clean.

3. The comeback apology that actually worked
A leadership team responded within the same news cycle, acknowledged impact without defensiveness, and avoided legal hedging. Engagement dropped within 48 hours. Similar incidents handled slowly lingered for weeks.

4. The brand that chose silence
The strategy was “don’t fuel it.” Instead, speculation filled the vacuum, employees leaked context, and the narrative ran sideways. Silence didn’t de-escalate. It surrendered control.

5. The executive whose old blog post resurfaced
A decade-old personal post conflicted with modern expectations and reappeared during a fundraising cycle. It wasn’t journalists who found it. Automated monitoring did. The response lagged behind discovery.

6. The influencer issue that became a board topic
What started as a sponsored post backlash escalated into advertiser concern, customer complaints, and governance conversations. Influence crossed from marketing into enterprise risk.

7. The company that over-corrected publicly
Multiple apologies and clarifications followed in quick succession. Each update reignited attention. The walk-back caused more damage than the original misstep. Panic spoke louder than accountability.

8. The deepfake scare
Fabricated executive audio circulated briefly. It was debunked quickly, but trust still took a hit. The reputational damage wasn’t belief. It was doubt.

9. The lawsuit that “won” and still lost
Legal victory didn’t translate to public trust. Headlines focused on tone and power imbalance, not the ruling. The reputational cost outlasted the case.

10. The moment leaders realized reputation isn’t PR anymore
Reputation became a function of discovery, AI memory, speed, and resilience. PR was just one input. Not the system.

The 2025 takeaway:
Reputation isn’t about controlling the story.

It’s about how well you hold when control disappears.

If you lead a company, sit on a board, or carry a visible profile, 2026 will test this even harder.

I’ve watched teams spend days debating language while the internet decided tone in minutes.

Alignment feels productive.

Timing is what actually protects you.

Your Crisis Playbook Starts Before the Crisis

Every executive says they’re prepared until they’re trending. Then everyone scrambles for statements, lawyers, and silence.

Real preparation looks different. It means:
1️⃣ Knowing your online footprint before others weaponize it
2️⃣ Assigning decision rights early
3️⃣ Having a 24-hour digital response plan that is tested, not theoretical

A brand survives a crisis by how fast it moves, not how loudly it apologizes.

#CrisisManagement #Leadership #Reputation

Reputation used to decay over time.

Now it snapshots instantly.

What people see first becomes what they remember longest.

🔐 SECURITY+ CERTIFIED CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONAL

I secure enterprise infrastructure while enabling business growth through cloud security, compliance, and incident response.

After 10+ years across Microsoft, GoDaddy, and Gen Digital, I've evolved from IT operations to cybersecurity specialist. I earned my CompTIA Security+ in March 2025 and immediately applied it to high-stakes projects: HIPAA compliance audits, cloud security migrations, and enterprise infrastructure modernization.

RECENT IMPACT

→ Orchestrated 350+ website migrations across 7 companies with 99.9% uptime
→ Led HIPAA compliance audits uncovering 20+ critical vulnerabilities at 3 medical sites
→ Migrated legacy infrastructure to Azure AD with 100% business continuity
→ Implemented WAF/CDN services reducing security vulnerabilities by 40%
→ Resolved 200+ security incidents with 95% customer satisfaction

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

Security: CompTIA Security+ | Incident Response | Risk Assessment | Vulnerability Management | IAM | SIEM | EDR

Cloud: Microsoft Azure (AZ-900 Certified) | AWS | Azure AD | Active Directory | Microsoft 365 | Infrastructure as Code

Compliance: HIPAA | PCI DSS | Security Auditing

WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT

I bridge technical expertise with business communication. My background spans enterprise (Microsoft, Gen Digital) and hands-on MSP work, giving me both strategic vision and tactical execution skills. I can architect secure solutions AND explain them to non-technical stakeholders.

CURRENTLY

Cybersecurity Associate at Gen Digital, protecting millions of customers across LifeLock, Norton, and Avast. I resolve complex security incidents, coordinate cross-functional response teams, and identify systemic risks before they become breaches.

📍 Mesa/Phoenix, Arizona (Open to remote)
📧 margolis.sam@gmail.com

---

"Sam's remarkable expertise and dedication to resolving complex issues have been instrumental in ensuring the success of numerous technical calls." — Jason Montgomery, Microsoft

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