JULY 25, 2024
We have just completed Evanta CISO Community events across Europe for the first half of 2024. Security leaders from the world’s leading organisations came together to discuss best practices and strategies for managing an ever-evolving threat landscape, securely enabling the implementation of AI, and communicating risk to key stakeholders.
As always, the content of Evanta community programs is driven by the executives themselves through hundreds of conversations and thousands of survey responses. This ensures that the agenda topics and discussions are always ‘by CISOs, for CISOs.’
Here are five hot topics from recent CISO Community events that received high ratings and positive executive feedback.
- The Foundations and Scaffolding Behind Effective Cyber Security at the UK & Ireland CISO Executive Summit
Mary Haigh, Group CISO at BAE Systems, delivered an engaging, practical and strategic message focused on the importance of strong foundations that could be applied to any organisation. From Mary’s perspective, the success of organisations is now underpinned by technology and its resilience.
CISOs can contribute to this by building strong cyber resilience, and this requires four pillars: strong leadership; strong governance; high performing teams; and flawless behaviours.
One CISO from a large organisation said: “Excellent, engaging, and thought provoking session.” Another CISO had this to say: “Loved this session, and I thought the advice was firmly on the money.”
- Prioritising Security Spend - Making Every Investment Count at the DACH CISO Town Hall
An esteemed panel of four CISOs from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Henkel, Klöckner & Co SE and RWE were joined by Cloudflare’s CFO, Thomas Seifert, for this Town Hall. The panel began by highlighting the importance of focusing on alignment at first rather than the budgeting itself.
The group then advised that CISOs should create and maintain transparency with the board that security is a change activity, and it will continue to be a journey rather than an easy fix. The panel also shared that the power of good storytelling will lead to the buy-in and budget you need.
One security leader from a Professional Services giant in Germany had this to say about the Town Hall: “Well organized, valuable insights!”
- Bridging the Gap Between IT, Security & Business at the Italy CISO Executive Summit
Siloes, shadow IT and culture were three key challenges Gilberto Tosca, Chief Technology & Information Officer, and Daniele Dal Re, CISO, both of Gucci, needed to solve to bring IT and Security closer to the business.
So, how did they bridge the gap between the three functions? First came the sponsorship and trust from the CEO and their leadership team to move IT and Security under one umbrella. Next came a dedicated Security by Design (gated) process to help dissolve shadow IT.
And overarching it all, was the cultural transformation, starting with encouraging transparency and awareness by developing educational paths and creating a Cybersecurity Committee at senior leadership level.
After the keynote, one leader said: “Good teamwork between IT and Security.”
- Behind the Swipe — How Security Awareness Impacts Us All at the Nordic CISO Executive Summit
Victim of fraud, and the story behind the hit Netflix show, “The Tinder Swindler,” Cecile Fjellhøy addressed CIOs and CISOs on an alternate view of the importance of security awareness. Drawing parallels between romance fraud and cyber security, Cecile shared her personal story and what others can learn from her experiences to better protect themselves and the organisations they work for.
She left the audience with 4 practical takeaways: tell stories; show interconnectedness; create a culture of unashamedness; and lead by example.
Here is what one security leader had to say after the session: “Super important story to share – thank you for your bravery!”
- CISO and NED Roles — The Realities, Challenges and Opportunities of Becoming (and Being) a NED at the UK & Ireland CISO Executive Summit
What’s it like to go from CISO to Non-Executive Director (NED)? Elaine Bucknor, ex CISO at Sky, turned NED, and Claire Davies, Partnership CISO at John Lewis Group, discussed the multiple routes CISOs could take after leaving the hot seat.
In this frank conversation, the skills needed to become a NED were a focus area – a deep, yet broad understanding of how a business works and strategic influence topped the list. In summary, CISOs should move from the role of specialist to becoming a generalist.
Participants had this to say at the session: “Really fascinating insight into an area that is hard to learn about.” “Best session I've seen on this. Very useful and actionable points.”
As the first half of 2024 programmes come to an end, Evanta European CISO community members provided this feedback on their experiences:
The intimate nature leads to better networking opportunities both with peers and vendors.”
– UK & Ireland CISO Community Member
It was a very welcoming environment in which to interact with peers and sponsors, as well as to contribute and learn from experiences shared.”
– UK & Ireland CISO Community Member
I've found a real friendly approach from all the CIOs and CISOs – I’ve never experienced this in the past at other conferences.”
– Italy CISO Governing Body Member
Richer in knowledge. Richer with new contacts.”
– Nordic CISO Community Member
Third year attending and always a good day well spent gathering information and networking”
- Nordic CISO Community Member
We continue to evaluate feedback from CISO community members in Europe as we plan events for the second half of 2024. Evanta CISOs will have more opportunities to gather at Executive Summits, Inner Circle dinners and Town Hall discussions in the coming months.
To register for your next CISO Community event, sign in to MyEvanta. If you have not yet joined your Evanta CISO Community, apply to join here for access to all community programmes.
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