Jeff Schmidt leads ECI’s strategic direction and long‑term growth across global financial services and other highly regulated industries. He is recognized for challenging how technology services are conceived, delivered, and measured—pressing the industry forward while insisting on disciplined execution today.
An ideator and industry catalyst, Jeff is known for his ability to connect future‑leaning vision with real accountability. He believes technology should be an accelerator of performance, not a source of friction, and that failure is often a design choice. His leadership focuses on operating left of boom—engineering reliability, resilience, and outcomes before disruption occurs—while preparing organizations for what comes next across data, networks, infrastructure, and emerging platforms.
As a driving force behind ECI’s evolution beyond traditional, ticket‑based models, Jeff has helped shape a culture centered on measurable outcomes, clarity of ownership, and client success. Under his leadership, ECI has shifted from reactive support toward experience‑led, outcome‑driven services, strengthening its reputation as a trusted, forward‑thinking partner to regulated firms.
Jeff is deeply people‑first in his leadership philosophy. He sets a demanding pace and builds environments where talented leaders grow into the next challenge, not the last one. Operating principles and metrics follow from that foundation, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement and performance discipline.
Before joining ECI, Jeff was the founding CEO of Avertium, where he integrated four cybersecurity companies into a single platform, pioneered the first MSSP to deliver Microsoft Sentinel as a core service, and built an industry‑leading Fusion Engine—tripling revenue in four years. He has also served as CEO of Authomate, with a mission to eliminate passwords through partnerships with leaders such as RSA and Palo Alto Networks, as well as COO of SQS North America. Earlier in his career, Jeff held senior leadership roles at BT, Lucent, INS, and All Covered. Jeff is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and a frequent speaker at industry forums including RSA, Gartner, and iConnections, where he is valued for translating complex technology shifts into clear, actionable insight.
Based in Atlanta, Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife, three children, and six grandchildren. He coaches Little League baseball, Softball and plays competitive tennis and pickleball.
