The New Frontier of Threat Prevention and the Leader Driving It Forward
Mar 25, 2026 
By Anna Vannisse 
As scams, phishing, and digital threats escalate globally, one reality is becoming impossible to ignore: traditional cyber defence models were never designed for the scale, speed, or sophistication of modern online deception. Criminal ecosystems now operate with commercial discipline. They innovate. They industrialise. They adapt faster than most organisations can respond.
At unphish, our mandate is to stay ahead of that curve. That requires more than detection technology or enforcement at scale. It requires leadership that understands how threat actors operate, how institutions respond, and how trust is rebuilt when it breaks.
It is in this context that unphish has created a new strategic role: Director, Threat Prevention. And stepping into this role is Iain Russell, a leader whose career has been defined by combatting cyber threat actors and strengthening digital trust.
Why unphish Created This Role and Why Now
Scam and digital threat prevention is shifting from a reactive obligation to a required core capability.
Fast-emerging global regulations, including Australia’s Scam Prevention Framework, are mandating an uplift in detection, response, and coordinated industry disruption. Meanwhile, threat actors are increasingly using automation, AI, and brand impersonation at scale to bypass traditional defences.
unphish is already recognised for its intelligence-led detection, automated takedown capability, and ability to disrupt digital threats across the internet in near real time. But the next phase of innovation requires a role that connects everything: emerging threats, technology strategy, product evolution, and the capability partnerships that expand our global enforcement reach.
Iain’s mandate is exactly that.
His role accelerates unphish’s trajectory by:
This is not a traditional leadership role. It is a role built to shape the future of how scams and digital threats are prevented, detected, and dismantled across the digital landscape and reflects our commitment to creating a safer digital future for all.
About Iain Russell
Iain Russell has built his career at the intersection of technology, security, and strategy, with a focus on understanding and disrupting how threat actors operate at scale. He has led global security strategy, advised government and enterprise organisations, and designed response frameworks for high-impact cyber incidents and fraud campaigns. Iain is also a regular contributor to the cyber and intelligence community, speaking at events, contributing to research, and working with industry partners to improve community scam education.
His work at unphish will centre on bridging the gap between technical capability and real-world outcomes, ensuring that detection, intelligence, and response translate into meaningful disruption of criminal activity and stronger protection for customers and institutions.
About unphish
unphish is a threat detection and disruption platform built to identify and take down phishing, scams, and digital impersonation at scale. We combine intelligence-led detection with automated enforcement to help organisations protect their brand, customers, and digital ecosystem.