Conifers hires AI leaders to scale CognitiveSOC growth

Conifers has hired Doron Bachar as Vice President of Research & Development and Elad Hoffer as Vice President of Product, expanding its senior team as it builds an AI-driven platform for security operations centres.

The company operates across Dallas and Tel Aviv and sells an "agentic AI SOC" platform designed to automate parts of security operations. It also appointed Anat Maor as Senior Talent Acquisition Partner to lead recruitment as the business grows.

Conifers positions its product, CognitiveSOC, for security operations centres and managed security service providers. The platform uses AI models and automation to support incident investigation workflows, which often involve high alert volumes and complex escalation paths.

Security operations teams have increased their use of AI tools over the past year as large language models have become more widely available in commercial products. Cybersecurity vendors have rolled out AI features for triage, investigation summarisation and analyst assistance. Competition has intensified as buyers weigh automation claims against operational risk and governance requirements.

R&D leadership

Bachar joins after more than 12 years in senior technology leadership roles at the Prime Minister's Office of Israel. His most recent work there focused on integrating LLM-based AI tools, according to Conifers.

He brings more than 20 years of experience running technology programmes and software development organisations, including building engineering teams and taking AI-based systems into production.

R&D leadership has become a focal point for security software firms as they adapt to rapid changes in AI infrastructure and model development. Product teams are also facing greater scrutiny over how AI systems are tested, measured and monitored in operational settings, given the risk of errors during security incidents.

Product hire

Hoffer joins with nearly two decades of experience across cybersecurity, data and AI product development, Conifers said. He most recently led core product at Salt Security, where he managed the company's flagship product line.

Before Salt Security, he served as VP Product at Otonomo and held senior product management roles in cybersecurity. He began his career at NICE Systems.

Alongside his corporate roles, Hoffer co-founded the Product Management programme at Bar-Ilan University's School of Technology and Cyber and currently serves as Program Director. Conifers noted that he is a graduate of technical units in the Intelligence Corps.

Product strategy is central in the current market for security operations tools, where vendors are working to distinguish analyst-assistance features from automated decision-making. Organisations are also setting internal policies on where AI can take actions, where it can make recommendations, and where a human must remain in control.

Talent focus

Maor joins as Senior Talent Acquisition Partner. She has experience scaling hiring at an early-stage cybersecurity company and at Apple, spanning executive search, sales, product and international go-to-market teams.

Security firms have continued to hire in engineering, product and go-to-market roles as demand remains steady for tools that support incident response and operational resilience. At the same time, many companies are managing costs by prioritising hires with domain expertise in security operations and AI development.

Market positioning

Conifers has highlighted third-party industry recognition as part of its positioning. It cited Gartner recognition in a report titled "AI Vendor Race: Conifers Is the Company to Beat in AI SOC Agents for Threat Investigation," which it said was published in December 2025.

The company is backed by SYN Ventures and PICUS Capital, among other investors. It did not disclose financial details alongside the appointments.

The hires come as security operations centres evaluate how AI can reduce alert fatigue, speed investigations and standardise processes across teams. Buyers are also raising questions about trust and oversight when AI systems participate in incident analysis, given the potential impact on business continuity and regulatory reporting.

Tom Findling, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, said Conifers is expanding its team while building out its technology and product roadmap.

"We're at an inflection point at Conifers, significantly scaling our team and pushing into the most advanced AI breakthroughs in security operations. To do that right, we needed to bring on world-class AI expertise in these two critical roles," Findling said. "Doron and Elad are proven builders who have led and scaled teams in high-stakes environments. With them on board, we have the foundation to build the most innovative SOC solution in a market where demand for AI-driven security is only accelerating."

Bachar and Hoffer will focus on product development and platform scaling as Conifers targets broader enterprise adoption of its AI SOC software.