Tom Okman
2022
Born (1987-11-05) 5 November 1987
Vilnius, Lithuania
NationalityLithuanian
EducationVilnius University
Mykolas Romeris University
Known forTesonet; Nord Security; NordVPN
Titleco-founder of Tesonet and Nord Security
2020

Tom Okman (Lithuanian: Tomas Okmanas; born November 5, 1987) is a Lithuanian businessman and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of business accelerator Tesonet and cybersecurity solutions company Nord Security, which is best known for its VPN service NordVPN. In 2017, Tom Okman made the annual New Europe 100 list of the Financial Times.[1] In 2020, Okman was named the CEO of the year by the leading Lithuanian business newspaper Verslo Zinios.[2][3]

Early life

Tom Okman was born and raised in Vilnius. He earned a bachelor's degree in history at Vilnius University and later earned a master's degree in e-business management at Mykolas Romeris University.[4]

Career

Okman founded Tesonet together with Eimantas Sabaliauskas in 2008.[5] After trying 34 various projects and ideas, from computer games to web hosting solutions, they finally focused on network security, business hosting, and big data solutions.[6][7] Both individually and through the Tesonet accelerator, Okman invested in more than 50 different projects and ventures.[8][9] He is actively involved in mentoring new ventures in the Lithuanian startup ecosystem and has taken part in launching a new association aimed at the growth of active Lithuanian startups.[10][11]

In 2012, Okman co-founded the VPN service company NordVPN.[12] He contributed to the development of the solution, significantly reducing the time required for TCP packets to travel between the client, the VPN server, and their ultimate destination.[13] Tom Okman is listed as one of the inventors of this method in the US patent office database.[14]

In 2017, Okman co-founded Nord Security, an umbrella company for several cybersecurity solutions both for clients and businesses, like NordVPN, NordVPN Teams, NordPass, and NordLocker.[15] However, a near-future vision for Nord Security, according to Okman, is to have one app that users could forget about after its activation: it would cover all the important areas of consumer security in the background.[16]

Since 2020, Tom Okman has been a member of the Forbes Technology Council.[17]

He is also a member of the board of trustees at the Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Science, together with the eighth President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė and other prominent Lithuanian figures.[18]

Advocacy

Tom Okman is a member of the board of directors of the Internet infrastructure coalition (i2Coalition).[19] This initiative ensures that those who build the infrastructure of the internet have a voice in public policy. In 2019, i2Coalition and six leading VPN service providers launched an initiative called VPN Trust Initiative (VTI).[20] A year later, VTI released a set of VTI Principles to offer a comprehensive set of best practices for VPN providers. Speaking on behalf of NordVPN, a member of VTI, Okman stated that the release of VTI Principles and Standards sets the bar for the whole industry.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "New Europe 100: eastern Europe's emerging technology stars". www.ft.com. 2017-11-23. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  2. ↑ "Business Leaders Awards: This is the tenth time the CEO has been elected". satmu. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  3. ↑ Tarcijonaitė, Agnė Jašinskienė, Milda. "Verslo lyderių apdovanojimai: dešimtąkart išrinktas Metų CEO". vz.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2021-08-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Gewirtz, David. "Meet NordSec: The company behind NordVPN wants to be your one-stop privacy suite". ZDNet. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  5. ↑ March 2020, TechRadar Pro 31 (2020-03-31). "Moving the VPN industry forward: a Q&A with NordVPN". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-08-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "The Story of Tesonet | We are Tesonet". 2017-10-30. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  7. ↑ "Okmanas: If We Want More Unicorns, We Need to Invest in Youth Education and the Modernisation of Spaces". Vilnius University. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  8. ↑ March 2020, TechRadar Pro 31 (2020-03-31). "Moving the VPN industry forward: a Q&A with NordVPN". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-08-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Pixevia Scoops $1.18 Million to Develop AI-based Smart Retail Store". AiThority. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  10. ↑ "Tesonet - Accelerating the digital future and innovation | We are Tesonet". 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  11. ↑ "Lithuania hopes for new unicorns this year". DELFI. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  12. ↑ Gewirtz, David. "Meet NordSec: The company behind NordVPN wants to be your one-stop privacy suite | ZDNet". ZDNet. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  13. ↑ March 2020, TechRadar Pro 31 (2020-03-31). "Moving the VPN industry forward: a Q&A with NordVPN". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-08-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ US 11050587, Norbutas, Emanuelis; Okmanas, Tomas & Briedis, Marijus, "Multi-part TCP connection over VPN", issued 2020-02-04, assigned to 360 IT UAB
  15. ↑ Gewirtz, David. "Meet NordSec: The company behind NordVPN wants to be your one-stop privacy suite". ZDNet. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  16. ↑ Gewirtz, David. "Meet NordSec: The company behind NordVPN wants to be your one-stop privacy suite". ZDNet. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  17. ↑ "Tom Okman". Forbes Councils. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  18. ↑ "Board of Trustees". TSPMI. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  19. ↑ "Tom Okman". i2Coalition. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  20. ↑ "Industry-Leading i2Coalition Launches 'VPN Trust Initiative' | TechNadu". www.technadu.com. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  21. ↑ "VPN Trust Initiative releases VPN principles for providers and users". securitybrief.asia. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
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