Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. has appointed Shaunna Balady, a Managing Partner at Paragon Software Advisors, to its Advisory Board. Balady brings over two decades of executive leadership in mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, and customer-focused growth within the software and industrial automation sectors. Her appointment comes as the company accelerates its expansion into the Industry 4.0 and Industrial AI markets.
Balady's extensive background includes senior leadership roles at major industrial technology firms such as GE, Rockwell Automation, and AVEVA, where she drove global business development and executed complex strategic transactions. Throughout her career, she has completed over 100 transactions totalling more than $20 billion in enterprise value across five continents. As a former Chief Operating Officer of an industrial application software company, she also brings significant operational expertise, having successfully led that company to a profitable exit.
"We are delighted to welcome Shaunna Balady to our Advisory Board," said Gary Tillery, CEO of Skkynet. "Shaunna's track record of generating value through strategic M&A and her deep understanding of the SaaS and industrial software landscape will be invaluable as we scale our operations. Her experience in guiding high-growth technology companies aligns perfectly with Skkynet's mission to become the standard for secure, real-time industrial data connectivity."
For business and technology leaders, this appointment signals Skkynet's aggressive strategy to solidify its position in the critical industrial data connectivity space. The move underscores the growing importance of secure data pipelines that bridge operational technology (OT) with cloud and AI systems, a foundational requirement for Industry 4.0 initiatives. Balady's expertise in M&A suggests Skkynet may be positioning itself for strategic acquisitions or partnerships to accelerate growth and technology integration.
"I'm excited to support Skkynet as it accelerates innovation and market growth. Skkynet is uniquely positioned to solve one of the most critical challenges in the industrial sector: securely connecting real-time data to the cloud and AI systems," said Balady. "I have watched the company's technology gain traction among major global players, and I look forward to working with Gary and the leadership team to refine our strategic roadmap and unlock new growth opportunities."
Balady's appointment follows a series of strategic leadership enhancements at Skkynet, including the recent appointment of Gary Tillery as CEO and Lee Tedstone to the Board of Directors. This pattern indicates a concerted effort to build a leadership team capable of capturing market share in the rapidly evolving industrial data sector. The industrial AI market, which relies on seamless and secure data flow from machines to analytics platforms, represents a significant growth frontier for technology providers.
The implications for the industry are substantial. As companies increasingly adopt AI for predictive maintenance, process optimization, and autonomous operations, the demand for reliable real-time data infrastructure grows. Skkynet's focus on this niche, bolstered by advisory expertise like Balady's, could help standardize connectivity protocols and security measures across industrial verticals. For more information on Skkynet's solutions, visit https://skkynet.com.
