The Hedge Fund Association (HFA) has appointed Vinod Paul, president of Align Managed Services, as chair of its Cybersecurity Committee as the alternative investment industry faces an increasingly complex cyber threat landscape.

Paul will oversee the committee's efforts to provide hedge funds and other alternative investment firms with guidance on emerging cyber threats, regulatory requirements and technology risk management.

The committee brings together investment industry executives and technology specialists with the aim of improving awareness of cybersecurity risks and encouraging stronger resilience and risk-management practices across the sector.

Paul will also work with the HFA's Executive Committee on recruiting additional cybersecurity specialists and developing events addressing the growing role of cyber risk within the alternative investment industry.

Paul has more than two decades of experience working with financial services and alternative investment firms on technology infrastructure, cybersecurity and technology risk. At Align Managed Services, he is responsible for the company's managed services operations, including its cybersecurity offering.

The appointment comes as hedge funds increasingly adopt artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, creating additional challenges for firms attempting to balance innovation with security and governance.

“AI is making cyberattacks more convincing and scalable while firms adopt the technology faster than governance can keep pace,” Paul said. He added that his objective at the HFA would be to help firms make practical decisions around cybersecurity and avoid being distracted by rapidly changing technology trends.

The HFA was established in 1996 and represents participants across the alternative investment sector, including hedge funds, private equity and venture capital firms, family offices, institutional investors and financial services providers.

The new committee chair will focus on cybersecurity education and industry collaboration at a time when hedge funds face growing pressure to strengthen controls around data, technology infrastructure and third-party systems while continuing to adopt new digital tools.