Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc., a provider of real-time data communication technology for industrial systems, has appointed Shaunna Balady, a Managing Partner at Paragon Software Advisors, to its Advisory Board. The appointment comes as the company accelerates its expansion into Industry 4.0 and Industrial AI markets, leveraging Balady's over two decades of executive leadership in mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, and growth within software and industrial automation. This move is significant for the New York metro area's business landscape as it represents a strategic infusion of high-level M&A expertise into a company targeting foundational technology for the next generation of industrial operations.
Balady's 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 totaling more than $20 billion in enterprise value across five continents. She has also served as Chief Operating Officer of an industrial application software company, leading it to a profitable exit. Her appointment underscores the critical importance of strategic corporate development and financial acumen for technology firms in the competitive industrial software sector, where consolidation and scaling are often prerequisites for market leadership.
"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." Tillery noted that her experience aligns with Skkynet's mission to become the standard for secure, real-time industrial data connectivity. The implication is clear: Skkynet is not merely seeking advisory input but is actively preparing for potential growth through acquisition, partnership, or strategic investment, a common pathway for technology firms aiming to dominate emerging standards like those in Industry 4.0.
Balady expressed excitement about supporting Skkynet's 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," she said. "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." More information about Skkynet's technology can be found at https://skkynet.com. Her statement highlights the growing convergence of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT), where secure data pipelines are essential for leveraging artificial intelligence in manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure—key sectors within and beyond the New York metropolitan economy.
This appointment follows other strategic leadership changes at Skkynet, including the recent appointment of Gary Tillery as CEO and Lee Tedstone to the Board of Directors, indicating a focused effort to capture market share in the evolving industrial data sector. The company's solutions aim to bridge plant systems, cloud platforms, and AI to enable intelligent operations across industrial verticals while maintaining security and data privacy standards. For the regional business community, this series of appointments signals Skkynet's transition from a technology developer to a growth-oriented player, potentially attracting further investment and partnership opportunities to the area. The move matters because it reflects a broader trend where industrial companies in the New York metro area and globally are racing to digitize and automate, creating high demand for the secure data infrastructure Skkynet provides, with strategic guidance now in place to navigate the complex market expansion and M&A landscape that defines this high-stakes sector.
